


Something New

by bananagirl-97 (therideisfarfromover)



Series: can the next gen just be happy and live their lives without war pls? [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 'When The Apple' Universe, Bad first impression, Daily Prophet, Daily Prophet Reporter OC, Established Scorpius/Rose, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gay Disaster Albus Severus Potter, Ginny is a Good Mum, Harry Potter Next Generation, Harry and Ginny just want their kids to visit sometimes you know, Next Generation, Not Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Compliant, Quidditch Player James Sirius Potter, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-13
Updated: 2015-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:48:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 34,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27012265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therideisfarfromover/pseuds/bananagirl-97
Summary: At 25, James Sirius Potter is living the high life. A Quidditch star, national heartthrob and ultimate partier, he's got it all. At 23, Elizabeth Hartley has just become junior Quidditch correspondent at the Daily Prophet. When her boss' son starts paying an interest, Lizzie could not care less. Well, at first she couldn't... (Same universe as my other stories.)
Relationships: James Sirius Potter/Original Female Character(s)
Series: can the next gen just be happy and live their lives without war pls? [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2010781





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all you lovely people who've happened to stumble upon this fic! This is something different for me, this is the first continuous story I've written in 3 years... However, it is linked to my one-shots, so if you're someone who has read those, I hope this okay. And to those who haven't read them, I hope that this makes sense :) As with all my Harry Potter stories, they all take place within the same timeline and can/ should be read as one big story really. You don't have to read my other stories but 'When the Apple Falls far From the Tree' may help in terms of understanding the characters. Anyway, enough rambling and on to the story. This is Something New.
> 
> [Reupload of a story i posted on FF.net as bananagirl.97]

_4th November 2027- Prologue_

Another round of fireworks went off as the fans of the Falmouth Falcons cheered as if this was the first victory in all of history. The team themselves had headed to the rooms underground, beneath the stadium, ready to celebrate the next night away.

"I still can't believe you scored 80 points on your own."

James laughed heartily and threw his arm around his best friend. "You're just bitter because your team lost."

"Yes. Yes I am actually, it means I lost that bet we had and have to buy you a firewhiskey."

"Off you go then," James winked at Tara as she sauntered off whilst giving him the middle finger. "You love me really, Tara Jane Wood."

"I really don't, James Sirius Potter."

James laughed once more as his cousin- his other best friend- jumped on him. "That was absolutely sensational Jamie!"

"Why thank you, Freddie."

"So how exactly do you plan on celebrating that spectacular start to the season?"

At that point, Tara returned, shoving the drink in her hand over to James. She scoffed. "Fred, do you even have to ask?"

Fred stared at James expectantly. James feigned nonchalance but his eyes hinted at adventure, "I plan to get smashed; meet my adoring fans; then go out and shag whichever woman is attractive and willing. Do you want to come with?"

"Well considering I have a wife at home who is 7 months pregnant, I don't think I will." Freddie sighed, "James, don't you feel you're getting a bit old for all the drinking and sleeping around?"

"Bloody hell, I'm only just 25! I'm slap bang in the middle of the best years of my life, and I wouldn't want to spend them any other way."

Fred hesitated before replying, "It's your life. Happy Birthday mate, and well done again on tonight. I'll see you at Gran's on Sunday?"

James nodded and briefly hugged his cousin goodbye. After Fred had left, James rolled his eyes. "Can you believe him? Only 24 and he's married with a kid on the way."

Tara shrugged, "It's not that uncommon, Jay. Especially not in Wizarding circles, I mean your mum was 21 when she had you, and when she was 24 Albus was on the way too."

James sighed, "Not you too?"

"What?"

"You think the fame is getting to my head, don't you?"

"No, no. Of course not," she stared directly into her friend's eyes.

"Do you want to come back to mine tonight then? We haven't hooked up in a while."

Tara laughed, "Because I have a boyfriend, remember?

"Oh yeah. Forgot about him," though his face suggested that he wished he had.

She slapped his arm playfully, "Hey! You'd really like him if you actually bothered to get to know him."

"I'll pass," and with that James swaggered off to find more exciting company.

The next morning, James woke up with a startling hangover. As he went to stretch his arm, it was blocked by a beautiful, tall, blonde woman in his bed next to him. As he went downstairs to get a glass of water, he found the clothes of his partner as well as his own strewn across 12 Grimmauld Place. As his memories of the previous night came together, he smirked.

"Ha. Growing up is overrated."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the prologue. Although James seems like a dick, I promise you he's not! The next update will be with you soon. In the meantime, please please please review. Reviews make the world go round. And if you do need some more reading *cough* my author page *cough*


	2. Call me Lizzie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Elizabeth snorted in disappointment, "He seems rather arrogant."
> 
> Ginny made a noise of agreement beside her, "Believe me, arrogant is a bit of an understatement."
> 
> "Oh, do you know him personally?"
> 
> "You could say that," Ginny uttered before bursting into laughter. She paused and chuckled once more before continuing. "That's my eldest son, James."'

_April_ _2028._

She took in a deep breath as she checked herself in the mirror. After years of jumping between various magazines and local papers, she had finally got a job reporting for the Daily Prophet. Admittedly it was just covering Quidditch but it was definitely a start. At least this meant that she got to work with Ginny Potter- who in terms of sports, writing _and_ history was a bit of a legend.

She looked up again. Her fair hair was neatly tucked into a bun, her lips were glossed, her glasses were straight and behind them her blue eyes were bright with excitement. She straightened up her skirt before heading downstairs.

Her mum began to fuss over her as soon as she entered the room. "Have you got your wand? A notebook? Writing equipment? What time will you get back? Do you need to take any documents with you?"

She smiled at her mother, "Mum, I've got everything. I'm 23 years old; I am perfectly capable of handling things myself."

The older woman laughed as she wiped a proud tear from her eye, "I know, it's just so big! My daughter- a reporter for the biggest newspaper in Magical Britain. To think, you'll be an expert in Quidlinch the next time we see you."

"It's called Quidditch, Mum," she smiled.

"Oh look, there goes your silly muggle parents getting it wrong again! Anyway, you better head off, we wouldn't want you getting late on your first day."

She kissed her mum goodbye, before apparating inside the Daily Prophet offices. She counted to five before stepping forward and knocking on the door labelled, 'Mrs Ginny Potter. Senior Quidditch Correspondent.'

"Come in."

She stepped in through the door and waited for further address.

"Ah yes, you must be the new junior reporter I was told about."

"Yes, that's me."

"I'm sorry, what was your name?"

"Oh, of course! Sorry; forgot to introduce myself. Elizabeth Hartley, but please- call me Lizzie."

* * *

They were currently on the train to Falmouth, the home of the Falcons, to visit their training ground. Lizzie had learned that November- January was the British League tournament, and June- August was the European Championships, so at this precise moment, every major team in the continent were working their arses off in training. So far they had met and interviewed the Appleby Arrows and Holyhead Harpies, and were now moving on to the Falcons, whose new Team Captain had just been assigned the role the week before.

Lizzie had been pretty blessed so far. Although she had started off with a beginner's knowledge of the sport, she was starting to understand the game and even enjoy it to an extent. In the one month she had been working for Ginny Potter, she had come to view her as a sort of motherly figure. Although she still found it hard to believe that the slender, beautiful woman in front of her had possibly given birth to three children. It was strange really; Lizzie had somehow always managed to avoid the infamous Potter/Weasley crowd whilst at school. She had been a quiet, studious sort- way too nervous to make friends with anyone other than her housemates.

Ginny smiled and rose to stand up, "Come on, this is our stop."

Lizzie grabbed her bag and her copy of 'Quidditch through the Ages' and followed after her boss.

It was a beautiful day to watch them train- the sun was high in the sky, yet a breeze was still blowing the dark grey and white flags pitched around the field. Brooms flew between each other, the quaffle flying from player to player, as they all shouted various tactics and techniques at each other. Suddenly, the Captain, whom she identified by the armband he wore, swooped in and took possession of the quaffle. He moved between his team mates as easily as walking, and soon enough had potted the ball through the right side hoop. As he smiled, his entire face lit up. He was a handsome young man, probably in his mid-20s, with wavy brown hair and dark eyes to match. He had a strong, but not overly bulky, form and as he opened his mouth, Lizzie found herself anticipating the sound of his voice.

"Ha!" he cheered. "Now that- that is the level of professionalism that your sorry arses should be playing at. I don't give a crap about how hot it is. You're meant to be top class athletes and you're slacking! Up your game people!"

Elizabeth snorted in disappointment, "He seems rather arrogant."

Ginny made a noise of agreement beside her, "Believe me, arrogant is a bit of an understatement."

"Oh, do you know him personally?"

"You could say that," Ginny uttered before bursting into laughter.

Lizzie looked at her confused. "Sorry, am I missing something?"

Ginny stopped and met her eyes. "I'm sorry, I forget that you're not in tune with celebrity culture," she paused and chuckled once more before continuing. "That's my eldest son, James."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ust realised, I should probably explain that my headcanon for next-gen is slightly different in terms of ages of characters. This is only because I started writing before I knew canon and was happy with the version I had.
> 
> Teddy Lupin- 12th April 1998  
> Victoire Weasley- 2nd May 2000  
> Molly ii/ Lucy Weasley- 3rd December 2001  
> James Sirius Potter- 4th November 2002  
> Dominique Weasley- 17th February 2003  
> Fred Weasley ii- 11th July 2003  
> Louis Weasley- 23rd April 2004  
> Roxanne Weasley- 30th May 2004  
> Rose Weasley- 2nd January 2006  
> Scorpius Malfoy- 17th June 2006  
> Albus Severus Potter- 19th August 2006  
> Hugo Weasley- 29th October 2007  
> Lily Luna Potter- 5th March 2008  
> Lorcan/ Lysander Scamander- 7th April 2009


	3. A Potter Family Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Harry made a face of curiosity as he heard the doorbell ring at their Godric's Hollow home. They hadn't been expecting company... He made to answer it.
> 
> When he opened the door, he was delighted to see his eldest son, stood there smiling, with a bunch of flowers in his hand.'

Harry made a face of curiosity as he heard the doorbell ring at their Godric's Hollow home. They hadn't been expecting company... He made to answer it.

When he opened the door, he was delighted to see his eldest son, stood there smiling, with a bunch of flowers in his hand.

Harry gasped, "Flowers? For me? You shouldn't have Jamie!"

James rolled his eyes as he pulled his dad in for a hug. "You're such a goof Dad. Merlin's beard, I've missed you."

Harry was suprised at his son's sudden sentimentality, but straightened up as he registered his words. "Well you wouldn't have had to miss us if you actually bothered to show up at The Burrow for Sunday family brunch. Or answered our owls. Or I don't know, popped in and visited us at work considering your house, which is technically mine, is only a 15 minute walk away from my office."

James looked into the air as if looking for a response, when his mother walked through the dining room into the corridor, "Jamie, I thought I heard you. You're just in time for dinner."

The three of them sat at their dinner table, the air feeling empty without the bustle that the whole family would provide.

Harry coughed, breaking the silence. "Well done on the Captaincy. We were all so excited to hear the news- front page of the Prophet! Your mother was thrilled to write the article. Your Uncle Ron cried! Actual tears! Oh, and little Hector jumped up and down yelling 'Captain Uncle Jay'"

James smiled at the thought of Teddy and Victoire's son cheering for him.

"Thanks Dad, it wasn't easy."

"I can imagine," Ginny chipped in. "The level of the British Tournament this year was ridiculous. The fact that you came out in the position you did, without injuries, is more than a mere achievement."

The other Potters nodded in agreement.

"So... How are the 2nd and 3rd favourite Potter children doing?"

Harry chuckled at the phrase James had always used, often to Albus and Lily's chagrin. "I spoke to Lily this morning, actually. She's doing really well: life in Paris has been good for her. She's bought herself a new flat overlooking the Seine." At this, James was visibly impressed. "The Shop has been doing really well. In fact she's had to get in a bit of help- it's a mix of muggle uni students and trainee interns from the French Ministry. She's made good friends."

"I hope these aren't male friends."

Ginny rolled her eyes, "Just as protective as ever, I see."

"How about the dreaded middle child?" James asked, earning an elbow in the ribs from his mother.

"I assume he's doing well. I'm yet to hear a bad report come in the office, so he's definitely behaving himself at work..."

"But outside of work?..." James pushed.

"You know that he always tries to hide his personal life from us."

"And fails."

"True. I'm not quite sure what's going on with him. I saw Scorpius at work today. He told me that he's meeting up with some friends he made at the bar last weekend."

"I _definitely_ hope these aren't male friends. What happened to Seth?"

"That's not to be mentioned."

"Bloody hell, how did he balls it up this time?"

"James! Don't talk about your brother like that!" Ginny berated. She paused and sighed, "You know how he gets. He fell in love a bit too fast and Seth found it... overwhelming. He told Al that he was too clingy and broke up with him."

"It's a shame really. He was a nice guy," Harry added.

"And an even better Quidditch player," James finished.

Ginny sighed, "I do sometimes wonder how you 3 are our children."

James sipped his drink and looked to his mother, "What did you think of training today? How did it look?"

His mother shrugged, "Good but I've definitely seen you play better. Try and tuck your arm in a bit closer when you've got the quaffle; it will add precision to your flying."

He nodded slowly as his brain catalogued the tip.

"Oh, and your beater- Greene- needs to actually try and bloody aim when he hits the bludger."

"That's what I always say! See Mum, I always said that you should have become a coach rather than a reporter when you retired."

Ginny blushed at the compliment. Then James shattered the moment.

"So who was that girl that was with you?"

Ginny threw her cutlery down, "Merlin, Jay, you're relentless!"

James threw his hands up in defence. "What did I say wrong?"

"You haven't been home in weeks, but as soon as you find out that I'm working with an attractive girl, you jump straight in there!"

"Bloody hell Mum! You're overreacting. I was just asking a friendly question about your work."

Harry placed a hand on his wife's shoulder. "It might just have been an innocent question, Gin."

Ginny breathed in deeply and shook her head to calm down. "Right, yeah. Sorry. Her name's Elizabeth, she's my new junior reporter."

James smiled, her name rolling off his tongue, when his mother raised a damning finger at his chest.

"No James Sirius Potter, don't you dare."

"What?"

"I raised you. You lived in this house for 21 years, so don't think I don't know that face by now. The face you make when you've picked your next target."

"Okay, I admit that she is somewhat attractive. Is that such a bad thing to say?"

"For you it is." James rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't try anything if I were you. She already thinks you're an arrogant prick."

"Harsh; considering I've never spoken to her."

Ginny laughed. "Well that will change tomorrow since she's interviewing all the team."

James smirked. This should be good.


	4. Interviews

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lizzie meets James for the first time, and her interview with him takes an unexpected turn...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends. I am so so sorry for the late update! From now on it should hopefully go back to one chapter every Wednesday. To apologise you can have this mega long chapter. I'll chuck in James/Lizzie interaction too ;)

_Beep beep! Beep beep!_

Lizzie groaned as she rolled over to turn off the alarm on her wand. She grabbed her glasses off the bed stand as her eyes adjusted to the light shining through her windows. Wait. Her bedroom didn't have a window on the west wall. She pulled her head up and took in her surroundings. _Aah, of course._ Her brain woke up and kicked into gear. She was in a hotel in Falmouth on her research weekend about the Falcons. Today was the day that she was going to interview the team, as well as it being the first time that Ginny had left her to do so by herself. She got out of bed and looked out the window. The Prophet had definitely been kind to her; Lizzie's window looked out onto the harbour, and she could see a plethora of boats coming in and out. She smiled at the sight- her dad would love this. He'd grown up in Cornwall but had moved to London for university and never moved back. Lizzie rummaged through her bag to find her phone. She took a picture and uploaded it to Facebook. _Woke up to this view from my hotel window. Wow- I love my job._

Lizzie laughed at herself as she put her phone back down. She could hear her friend Clara's voice right now, "You complain about not being Wizard enough and then spend all your time acting like a muggle! You make no sense!"

In all honesty, that pretty much summed up her entire life. Growing up around only muggles, she wasn't even aware of the existence of magic. At primary school she was a good student and had a solid group of friends, but they- and herself- always knew that there was something different about her. She could remember her first experience with magic as clearly as if it were yesterday. She was 7 years old and had come back from a particularly bad day at school- she was angry. She got home and slammed the door shut, and as she did, the light switch in her corridor flickered. She didn't think anything of it until she screamed and it made the fuse blow. It was another few weeks before anything else happened- but this time her family were witnesses. Her dad fainted. Fully passed out. He was the bravest man she knew so needless to say it concerned her. Her brother had questioned her about it for hours following 'the incident' but she didn't know what to say. The day that McGonagall showed up with her Hogwarts letter was simultaneously the most shocking and relieving day of her life.

_"What do you mean you're not going to Grangewood?" her best friend Jenni had challenged her._

_"I was accepted into this boarding school in Scotland. They help people like me," she mumbled, trying not to cry._

_"People like you? What does that mean?" her friend Tom added._

_"Just... Different."_

_"But we love that you're different!"_

_"Please don't leave."_

_She hugged her best friends and wished them goodbye. "I'll never forget where I came from. We'll always stay in touch. I'll see you at Christmas."_

Lizzie sighed as she shook off the memory. "Focus girl. You don't have time to reminisce- there's work to do."

Once she was changed and had grabbed all her stuff, she caught a taxi to the field of the training ground. _You muggle._ The taxi driver was obviously perturbed at having to drop someone off by an empty field, but money was money. Lizzie wandered across the field and muttered "Revelio," revealing the stadium to her eyes. Even though she had just been there the day before, she was left speechless at the enormity of it. When she entered the grounds she was met by a spritely witch named Yasmin, who she had been introduced to yesterday as the assistant of the team's manager.

"Good morning Miss Hartley, I trust you had a pleasant sleep."

Lizzie smiled politely back at her, "I did, thank you."

"Wonderful to hear! You needed it in preparation for this busy, busy day. They've all cleared their schedules today just to talk to you. The kit storage room has been rearranged and prepared for you to do seven interviews in."

"Thank you so much. Wait- seven? I thought an interview with the manager had been booked too?"

Yasmin awkwardly tucked a hair behind her ear, "Yes it has. That's included in the seven." Lizzie eyed her curiously, waiting for an explanation, "The thing is- Mr Potter insists on being interviewed this evening. Over dinner. I've been asked to tell you to go to this restaurant at 6pm."

Yasmin handed Lizzie a small notecard with a scribbled address on it. Lizzie wanted to refuse it but this was her job- she couldn't. She sighed.

"Lead the way then, we better get started with these interviews."

"So tell me: what drew you to Quidditch?"

"It's a great way to make friends at school and I just fell in love with the sport." "My family has a history with the game." "There is literally no other feeling in the world that matches that of flying."

"What do you think sets the Falcons apart as a team?"

"We're not just a team- we're a family. We all have a good balance between work and banter." "We train all year round. The most we'd ever take off training is a fortnight." "We have a fantastic manager who cares about each of our individual careers as well as a Captain who gives his all to the sport."

"How are you feeling about the approaching Euro League?"

"Pretty good. I mean, there are some absolutely incredible seekers on these teams; especially some of the Germans. It's a lot of pressure to live up to, but I think I'm up to it." "In all honesty, I'm pretty nervous- but we have done literally all we can so I'm hoping for the best." "We smashed the British League this year, what are a couple more teams to beat?"

"And your Captain- James Potter. Do you think that he has it in him to lead your team to victory?"

"Absolutely! Jay lives, sleeps and breathes Quidditch. Yes it helps that he has parents who were gifted players, but he challenges even his mother's skill." "He was born to be a leader. Yes he can let it get to his head sometimes, but he deserves to because he works harder than anybody I know." "He's a bit of a prat but his heart is in the right place." "I truly believe that James Sirius Potter is one of our generation's finest Quidditch players."

Mr Mclane, the team manager, laughed as he answered this final question. "Buying James from the Appleby Arrows was the best decision I have ever made in my career."

Lizzie's eyebrow raised at all this praise. It was heightening her expectations of tonight to say the least. She cast the charm on her quick quill to stop it transcribing, and began to pick up her things.

"Well thank you. For all your insight, and for allowing me to steal your team for the day. It's been interesting."

The older man stood up alongside her and shook her hand, "You're yet to meet Jay. I'm sure it's going to get more interesting!" he laughed as she tried to join in to hide her nerves. She just hoped he couldn't see through her.

* * *

At 6pm precisely, Lizzie apparated to _La Casa di Draghi_ , a small Italian restaurant situated in a Wizarding part of the town by the sea. When she arrived, she looked around the room and smiled to herself at some of these Wizards attempts to wear muggle clothing. In one corner of the room she spotted him, wearing a white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up with dress trousers and shoes, and he was using his wand to play with the candle on the centre of the table. She looked down at her own top and jeans and couldn't help but feel underdressed. _What are you going on about? This isn't a date, Lizzie, it's an interview._ She took a deep breath and approached the table, coughing to make her presence known. James stopped what he was doing and stood up to greet her. He smiled, "You must be Elizabeth."

She went to correct him, but stopped herself, finding that she liked the sound of 'Elizabeth' a lot more when he said it. "Yes, that would be me, and you would be the famous James Sirius Potter, I presume?"

He laughed. "Yeah, I guess that's me." James gestured for her to sit down. Soon after, a waiter appeared next to them.

"Can I get you drinks tonight?" he asked, a quill poised above his notepad.

Before Lizzie could offer an answer, James had opened his mouth. "We'll have a bottle of white wine please. The best one you can give us, please."

"Certainly, Mr Potter."

"Do you come here often? The waiter seemed to know who you are," Lizzie asked suprised.

He shrugged in reply, "As you said just now- I'm famous. I also look too much like my dad to not get recognised."

Lizzie looked at him closely, "You've got a lot of your mum in you too. Your eyes are exactly the same."

His lips curved into a small smile. "Yeah they are. Very observant Miss Hartley. Shall we order some starters and then you can start interviewing me?"

She just nodded, still nowhere near sure of what to think of James Sirius Potter.

"Right. Where shall I begin... How did you first get into Quidditch?"

He thought for a moment, his mind flicking back to the memories. "Obviously I was always surrounded by the sport, what with Mum. I was only 3 when she stopped playing for the Harpies but she went straight into Sports Journalism, as you well know. Dad's Hogwarts days involved a lot of Quidditch too, and people would often cite the stories. The Burrow, that's my grandparents' home, has a Quidditch pitch out back, so any family event would feature a game. Then when I got to school, I began to play competitively and found that I was better at it than most things so I decided to stick at it."

Lizzie smiled at his answer as her charmed quill scribbled it down.

"How has the new position of Captain been for you?"

James leant back in his chair and crossed his hands behind his head in a casual manner. "It's an absolute honour, it really is. It's also a lot of pressure though. I care about every member of my team, but ultimately my job is to win us matches. So yeah, I'm quite tough on them but only because it's the only way to keep them motivated. I feel that I'm settling into the role pretty well."

Another answer was jotted down and Lizzie got slightly more confused. This man in front of her seemed professional and focused- little could be seen of the rambunctious flirt with drinking and pranking habits that friends and the press had whispered about.

"To be a professional athlete, you need to be physically fit. How do you maintain this?"

"As I said before, I work my team hard; so we train four days a week. I try and keep a balanced diet too. I run every morning, do toning exercises daily too. I also do a lot of... after hours exercise." His eye gleamed as he finished, making Lizzie _very_ aware of his innuendo. She coughed awkwardly and moved on to the next question.

"What are your hopes for the next few years of your career?"

He laughed, "To be honest; I just want to have fun. I'd like to rank in the top 5 in the Europa League too. Managing to get to the top spot here in Britain was monumental, but I've got a feeling we would feel even better of it wasn't just national praise, but continent-wide. That's my hopes for the Falcons. For myself... well, I'd love to play for England in the next World Cup so I'm just working as hard as I can to get there."

As she pushed aside her finished main course, Lizzie hummed in interest as she took in his answer. "Do you mind if I ask you some personal questions now?"

He leaned in closer and Lizzie could feel his foot pressing against hers under the table. "I'd love for you to get personal with me, Elizabeth." He looked up at the arrival of a waiter. "Oh look, the sweet stuff is here"

Lizzie smiled awkwardly, trying to ignore the situation. _That must be what the media meant. Just ask some questions._

"Since starting your Quidditch career seven years ago, and even before that- the media pegged you as a party animal. Do you think that this damages your reputation on the field?"

He looked momentarily shocked at her abrupt question before returning to his calm self. "Yes they have 'pegged me as a party animal' but where's the harm in me enjoying my life? I do like parties and women and booze and I do probably spend more time focusing on those things than most, but you know what? I deserve to. Look, I don't mean to sound completely up my own arse, but I'm one of the best players that this country has. If people don't want to see that but instead focus on the fact that I enjoy a good night out- they're fucking idiots. Quite frankly, I don't give a shit about what people think of me, because I'm an athlete. People should care about how good I am with a broom; not anything else." His eyes darkened. The scariest part of it all was that he had maintained his level tone and eye contact throughout. It made Lizzie shiver.

She hesitated before asking another question. "Being a professional Quidditch player is a 24/7 job. Has this made life difficult for you in any way?"

James shrugged, "Well the media already bugged me all the time anyway so it doesn't make a difference. What do you mean by difficult?"

"Umm, well you know, has it had a strain on your relationships with your friends and family?" Lizzie muttered, scared that she'd crossed a line.

"Is this in regards to those rumours about me and my brother?" Because I assure you Elizabeth, it's a load of crap. I have never threatened my brother with an unforgivable and I don't plan on doing so."

Suddenly his demeanour changed. "Can I ask you a few questions Miss Hartley?"

Lizzie nearly choked on her wine in suprise, "That's not really how this is meant to go Mr Potter."

"James." he corrected. "Or Jay- whichever you prefer. It would just be one or two questions."

Lizzie sighed but nodded her head and cut the charm on her quill, "Yeah sure, whatever."

"What house were you in at school?" he asked innocently, making Lizzie laugh.

"Ravenclaw." she thought she heard him mutter 'that figures' under his breath.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

Her eyes widened, "No, not right now."

"Are you actually interested in Quidditch, or was this the only position at the Prophet?"

She laughed again, "Only position. I'm starting to become interested though."

He nodded, contemplating something as he scooped up the last spoon of his tiramisu. His manner changed once more as he propped himself up on his elbows and leaned forward again."

"Okay, one last thing. You may have noticed that I've been checking you out all night, because frankly- you're absolutely beautiful. Which is why I'm asking on a bit of a whim if... well, sorry to be blunt, but I want to know if you'd come home with me."

"Excuse me?" Lizzie's face flushed bright red. "I'm here on work business."

James shrugged, "You got your interview; now have some fun. My mum never has to know."

"This isn't about your mother, this is about the fact that I barely even know you!" she laughed in shock.

"What are you talking about-you just learned loads about me."

"Those are questions for a newspaper. Those aren't real, personal things! I don't know your birthday, or your favourite colour, or whether you have any allergies..."

"4th November, red, kiwi fruit. Now you know. Come home with me."

Lizzie stood up angrily and shot an aguamenti charm straight at James' face. "Thanks for dinner Mr Potter. You can read that interview in the Prophet shortly," and with that she grabbed her stuff and apparated away.

James ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "And it was going so well."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is actually the longest chapter I've ever written for any of my stories ever! You lucky things you! Another update in a few. Reviews make me smile!


	5. Some Potters, Alcohol and Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Potter brothers, a freshly rejected Jamie, a night on the town: what could go wrong?

James apparated home cold wet and annoyed. He had to go and open his big mouth didn't he? _Stupid man whore._ As he appeared in the kitchen of his home, he could hear noises coming from the sitting room, as well as smelling the distinct dust of floo powder.

As he entered the room, he found a man just 3 years younger than himself sat staring at the fireplace.

"Finally gone mad, little bro?"

Al shot up at the sound of James' voice and smiled, "Something like that, yeah."

The two boys embraced each other and James patted Albus' jaw, "I'm glad to see you shaved off that horrendous attempt at a beard."

Albus snorted, shrugging the comment off, "I'm single now so I've got to look at least half decent when playing the field."

"So what made you come over? It's not like you usually visit."

"Well neither do you, so I guess we're even." he shot back angrily. Al sighed. "I just wanted to spend some time with my big brother, go out for a few drinks or something?"

James contemplated this before replying, "Malfoy busy?"

"I'm offended that you think that's the only reason I'd spend time with you! But yeah; he's sorting out wedding stuff."

"In fairness, you are less scary to stand up than Rose is," this made Al laugh. "Hang on, as Best Man shouldn't you be there?"

"Nah, the Maid of Honour and I have a rota of sorts; it's Annie's shift tonight."

"Fair enough. So drinks. Where do you want to go? Leaky?"

Al shrugged again, "Actually, I was thinking somewhere more like Battleground or The Dragon's Nest?"

"A nightclub?" James' eyes widened at the possibility. "Why the hell not? Let me just go get changed."

"Yeah, why are you all wet?" Albus smirked.

James winked, "I'll tell you when I'm a little less sober."

* * *

The Dragon's Nest was probably one of the most renowned Wizarding nightclubs in Britain. The music was loud with a good beat and the selection of alcohol they offered surpassed most good shops. You entered on the ground floor from Diagon Alley and then descended down the stairs into a dark room lit by an array of colourful light spots hitting the walls. On one wall was a large carving of a dragon; the mouth of which was filled with a fireplace. Opposite this wall was a bar stacked to the brim with an assortment of bottled iniquities. The room had sofas and chairs scattered around its edges and a large dancefloor in the middle, which by the time James and Albus had walked over from Grimmauld Place, had become full of wizards who couldn't quite walk straight and fancily dressed witches. The two brothers pressed their way through the masses to get to the counter. As they got close, the bartender's face lit up in recognition.

"Why I never; two Potters in one hit! What can I be getting you boys tonight?"

James and Albus looked at each other, smirking as they each had the same thought. They simultaneously turned back to the counter as James cleared his throat.

"I think we'll each be having one of us, thanks."

The bartender laughed, "Two Potter Ales coming up. Don't worry- they're on the house."

Fame was invented for moments like these; drinking a bottle of ale named after your father and being offered to do so for free.

"I'm sorry about you and Seth," James said to his brother.

"Thanks. I probably deserved it to be fair- I was way too clingy."

James rolled his eyes, "Got anyone new in mind?"

"Not really, I might just stay single for a while."

"The older Potter barked out a laugh. "That's not bloody likely! You're even worse out of relationships than you are in them. How about that guy? What's his name… Oh yeah- Sanjay. What about Sanjay?"

Al sipped his ale considering this, "The one who works for Aunt Hermione? Didn't realise his broom flew that way."

"I'm pretty sure he's gay."

"Hmmm, I shall keep that in mind. Whilst on the topic of dates- can I hear the story of your coming home a mess?"

James downed the rest of his bottle in reply. "I'm nowhere near drunk enough yet! Am I buying this next round or are you?"

"You're the newly promoted star athlete! I'll have a Triwizards, ta."

James wandered back to the bar and threw down some galleons. "I'll have a Triwizards and a firewhiskey, thanks."

Once they were well into their second drink, they got up and joined the many people on the dancefloor. From behind the girl he was half dancing with; James could see Albus dancing with a petite dark haired girl in a corseted dress. Poor thing was staring at him with bedroom eyes. _Better save the girl from disappointment before he starts blabbering about his ex-boyfriends._ He stumbled over and grabbed his brother, pulling him out from between the people and onto a nearby sofa.

"Still a lightweight then, Albie?"

"Piss off Jamie," he tried to say it seriously but burst out laughing. "The Prophet are going to be having a field day with this. The headline will read _'Two pissed Potters bond in sleazy nightclub.'_ "

"It's better than them thinking we tried to kill each other. Just today another person questioned me about that."

"Ha! As if you could curse me with an unforgivable- I'm an Auror."

Jamie scoffed, "Yeah; a shit one" eliciting a gasp of offence from Albus.

"Hey!"

James threw his arm around his brother's shoulder and pulled him closer. "You know I only tease."

"Are you drunk enough to tell me the story yet?"

"Yeah, I guess." James sighed before recounting the evening's events to Albus, trying to hide his embarrassment whilst Al chuckled in amusement.

"She's a Ravenclaw. Do you really think she'd be up for a one night stand?"

James licked his lips and smirked, "It's been known to happen."

"You dirty bugger. Mum would kill you if she found out." Al's eyes reflected concern as he looked to James.

"I'm just hoping she never does."

"It was quite the risk to take though!" Al ran his hand through his hair. "She must've really been something."

James gushed, "She's gorgeous, Albie. She had these eyes which just lit up, and a smile you could trust, and her hair looked so soft."

"Merlin's beard Jamie- what's this girl done to you?"

James straightened up in his seat as if to reaffirm his masculinity. "Nothing. She was just damn hot. I don't know Al. There was something about her which just intrigued me."

"In a way which is _more_ than just getting into her pants?" Al questioned.

"Maybe… I don't know. What I do know is this- although I really hope I never run into her again; I bloody hope I do. Maybe I can redeem myself."

"Maybe you should attempt to redeem yourself with your family first. Nan is missing her no. 1 grandson."

James looked at Al as if he had stated the most obvious thing in the world.

"Seriously though, Jamie," Albus looked his brother straight in the eye. "Just come for brunch tomorrow. The house is so boring at the moment."

"The Burrow- boring? How's that possible?"

"Well let's do a roll call for the cousins, shall we? You've got recent, and therefore grumpy, parents Teddy & Vic and Freddie & Maya; crazy wedding planning Rose and Scorpius; quiet Lucy; Mega busy at work Molly; Dom, Louis, Lily and Hugo aren't around, so that just leaves me and all the adults."

"What about Roxy?"

"Well okay- two fun, awesome young people surrounded by oldies. The point is Jamie, please come home. You haven't been to a family gathering in over a month. We miss you."

"Is tomorrow really the best option? You know full well that we'll be very hung-over in the morning.

Al sniggered. "Please! I know you have an entire cupboard filled with various hangover potions. Speaking of yours, can I stay the night? I don't really want to listen to my best mate and my cousin having sex in the room next door."

James laughed loudly, "You finally stopped denying they do that then?"

Albus slowly went red. "Umm… well… I kind of had to after I walked in on them."

This comment proceeded to make James spit his firewhiskey out.

"Yeah, yeah, it's hilarious. Anyway, can I stay at the house tonight or what?"

James bit his lip, feigning contemplation, before breaking into a wide smile. "Go on then. It'll be like when we were kids."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! And hey- it will be worth your time, I'll give you some advice for this Elizabeth girl."

"You? Give me girl advice? " James stared at Al incredulously waiting for him to laugh. When he didn't, James shrugged. "This evening has been pretty strange all round- why not add getting advice on women from my single, gay, little brother?"


	6. Girls Day Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lizzie goes out with an old friend, and finds herself seeing James for the first time since their interview.

"Hey beautiful." Lizzie jumped as a voice appeared behind her. She turned around to face a woman her age, with warm brown eyes and short brown hair in a pixie cut.

"Merlin Clara, you scared me."

Clara laughed and gave a playful wink, "You know you were buzzing to see me."

"Of course I was!" Lizzie confirmed before pulling her friend into a hug.

Clara had been the first person Lizzie had met at Hogwarts, and after they were both sorted into Ravenclaw, they became fast friends. It was strange really, when you considered how different they were from each other. Where Lizzie was quiet, it was as if Clara was permanently using a Sonorus charm. Where Lizzie was a jumper and jeans girl, Clara was a miniskirts and high heels girl. Where Lizzie would much rather curl up with a good book, Clara was getting smashed at a large party. In everything, they were complete opposites; yet in everything they were equals. A perfect balance.

"I heard about your promotion, well done!" Lizzie congratulated her friend as the pair took a seat in Fortescue's.

"Thank you. It's not that big a step up but at least Minister Shacklebolt thinks I'm good for something."

"Not that big a step up?" Lizzie scoffed, "You've been asked to represent Britain at the next European Magical Co-operation Summit. That's amazing!"

At this praise, Clara allowed herself a rare blush. "The Prophet are going to interview me. Shame it's not your department." As she said this, a cog turned in her mind. "Speaking of- It's been over an entire week, why am I yet to hear of your interview with the great James Sirius Potter? How did it go?"

Now it was Lizzie's turn to blush. "It was interesting… and that's to say the least."

"I bet it was! That boy is fucking gorgeous."

Lizzie went a deeper shade of crimson.

"What is he like?"

Lizzie's eyebrows raised, "Where do I even start? Mysterious, charismatic, slightly egotistical, bit of a prat."

Clara's shoulders sunk in disappointment. "Oh. It went badly then?"

"Well it wasn't going badly until…" her voice shrunk into a murmur.

"What was that?"

Lizzie gulped before repeating. "Until he asked me to go home with him."

Her friend's eyes widened opposite her. "What? What? What?!" Her voice went up an octave between each repeat. "Shit- that's insane. You are so lucky. Please, please say you said yes."

"Don't be ridiculous Clara, of course I didn't."

Clara kicked Lizzie under the table.

"Ow!"

"You bloody well deserved that."

Lizzie's mouth settled into an O shape. "How did I?"

"You could have had sex with James Potter and you said no."

Lizzie continued to stare blankly at her friend.

" _The_ James Sirius Potter! As in Witch Weekly's five time Sexiest Wizard of the Year, and you could have seen him naked!"

She shrugged and took a sip of her drink. "So what, I don't even know the guy, it doesn't matter that he's attractive.

Clara shook her head and stood up to leave. "I can't believe you. Come on, let's get out of here before my anger at you makes me do something stupid."

Clara grabbed Lizzie's hand and attempted to pull her out of the door but instead just pushing her into a solid figure, on which her coffee was now spilled.

"Shoot, I'm so sorry." Without looking up, she began to rub her sleeve to try and clear up the mess she'd made. The figure in front of her laughed.

"No problem at all."

Oh no. She recognised that voice. She looked up to face the man wearing her coffee and of course, _his_ chocolate brown eyes were staring down at her and a smirk graced his features.

She awkwardly smiled. "Hi Mr Potter."

He grabbed her hand which lingered on his chest as he replied. "I've told you, the name is Jay."

Out on the street, Clara had only just noticed her friend's disappearance. She groaned and wandered back down to Fortescue's.

"Lizzie, what the hell is taking you so"-

It was at this point that she noticed the fact that her friend was pressed against a coffee stained James Sirius Potter. Clara paused.

"Shit, she didn't spill something on you, did she?"

Both James and Lizzie's heads shot up towards Clara, who had pulled out her wand and was casting a scourgify charm. She reached out her hand to shake James' .

"Clara Tempest. No need to ask who you are."

He laughed. "No I guess there isn't. Nevertheless, I'm James Potter."

Clara looked him up and down as she bit her bottom lip. "Believe me, _I know_."

Lizzie flushed red in embarrassment, and grabbed Clara's hand so as to pull her away. "I'm so sorry for this little altercation. I hope you liked the article. We'll leave now."

She walked out the door as fast as she could without seeming desperate.

"Elizabeth, wait."

Although she knew she should keep walking, she turned around, sighing as she did so,

James slipped his hands into his jeans pockets nervously and stepped forward. "I just wanted to say thank you for not telling my mum about… our little incident."

"What makes you think I haven't?"

"Well I'm stood here unharmed aren't I?" he chuckled. "I saw her in the week and if she had known, she wouldn't have kept quiet about it. So yeah, thanks."

Lizzie's eyes gleamed darkly. "Believe me when I say that I did that for the sake of my reputation; not yours. Have a nice day James."

And with that, she stormed off down Diagon Alley, Clara trailing behind her. When they had got far enough away from the scene, Clara let a small smile slip onto her face.

"What are you smiling about?"

"Oh nothing… _Elizabeth._ "

"Clara?"

"Hmmm?"

"Shut up."


	7. Running into Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James tries to forget about Lizzie turning him down, but multiple chance encounters make it harder than he'd hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right… So I understand that I was late again… I think I'm just going to remove that 'weekly update' bit in the blurb. I'm so sorry. College is just extremely manic right now. A levels are pain epitomised. Here is the next chapter. Sorry, it's kind of a filler, but I wanted to keep the chapter format James, Lizzie, James, Lizzie, so I needed to come up with a James chapter before the next Lizzie one I have planned. (I ended up writing both James and Lizzie's segments of this chapter though.) Also, I freaked out that I'm moving this story along too fast. Sorry. Here you go.

James swerved under the bludger just in time, it flying over his head as he threw the quaffle to his fellow chaser, Freya Bronwyn. He smiled as she turned and got the quaffle through the right hand hoop, catching the keeper by surprise. He cheered, before lowering his broom and landing on the centre of the pitch.

"Well done guys, absolutely brilliant practice."

He looked round to his teammates, each of their eyes reflecting his excited gleam.

"The European League starts on the 1st June, just two weeks from now; and if you play like that, I'll be a very proud captain. So. You can guys can bugger off and have yourselves a good night off. I'll see you first thing tomorrow morning."

He waited for each of them to head off before he himself retreated to his quarters. As he walked in, he saw a familiar brown owl perched on the corner of his desk, a scroll lying by its feet. He smirked as he went to unroll it.

_Oi. Jamie!_

_Word from your brother is that you are actually trying to reconnect with your dear family again. If this strange news is in fact the case, I do believe we have a hell of a lot of catching up to do. I also believe that our other dear friend has a birthday to celebrate, and a boyfriend who is away on business. My darling wife Maya has very kindly agreed to care for our child tonight, so you, TJ and I are having a night on the town! See you at the Dragon's Nest tonight. 8pm._

_Love Freddie (your favourite cousin)_

James laughed as he scribbled down a reply. Now the only thing to do was to buy Tara a present…

At 8.07, James made his way down the all too familiar stairs into the club, smiling as he spotted Tara, bottle already in hand, and Freddie leaning casually against the bar, his hair looking haggard from what James guessed was many a sleepless night. He made his way over and slipped his arm round Tara's waist making her jump. He moved closer and whispered in her ear, "Happy Birthday you beautiful girl."

Tara laughed, throwing her head into James' shoulder. "Don't flatter me with sweet nothings just because you didn't buy me a present, Jay."

"That obvious, hey?"

Fred stepped forward and placed his hand on James' other shoulder. "You've always had a tendency to be a tad predictable, Jamie."

"You wouldn't change that though would you?" he asked, a flicker of doubt in his voice.

Tara and Freddie exchanged glances before simultaneously shaking their heads. "Never!"

"Now come on," Tara said as she smoothed out her dress and threw her arms around her companions' shoulders. "This is meant to be my birthday, and I don't want to waste my precious time turning in the second quarter of a century, trying to make Jamie's fat head bigger. Let us drink and dance and have a fucking ball, my friends."

Freddie's eyes squinted in confusion, "That was put so… eloquently."

"Don't you know it," Tara winked as she began to head to the dance floor. Her and Fred paused as they realised James had stopped behind them.

"Jay, are you okay? Shit, you look as if you've seen a ghost or something."

But James couldn't be shaken from his rouse, as his eye had been caught by a petite girl whose blonde hair he would've recognised anywhere.

Fred rolled his eyes. "Who's she then? A past flame?"

James ran his hands through his hair anxiously, "Umm no. She rejected me actually."

"The great J.S. Potter rejected? Who'd think it possible?" Tara muttered sarcastically.

"Let's go say hi, if you know her."

"Are you crazy?!" James spat, tugging back his cousin to his side. "I can't let her see me."

"Too late for that, buddy."

"What are you talking about Tara?"

"She just looked straight at you, went bright red and is now violently whispering at her friend so that they may leave. Now that's sorted, let's stop messing about and actually have some fun!"

James stared at Tara with an unbelieving look. "How am I meant to have fun, now you've told me that? Now all I'm going to be able to think about the fact that as soon as Elizabeth saw me she wanted to leave. I'm not that repulsive! I'm sorry TJ, I need to leave. Happy birthday babe, have a good one." And before his friends could even question his actions, he had kissed Tara on the cheek and apparated away.

"What the bloody hell was that?"

"Who knows; but let's not have a bad night just because James is being weirdly out of character."

"Exactly! This is my first night off from being a Dad since Julia was born. I am going to get smashed with my best friend! Sound good?"

Tara held up her bottle and downed its contents, "Sounds bloody fabulous."

* * *

"Lizzie, sweetie, do you mind running to Scribulus and collecting our order of new notepads?"

Lizzie began to get up from her desk straight away, "Of course not Mrs Potter."

Ginny gave her a disapproving look.

"Sorry Ginny."

The older woman smiled. "Much better. Thanks for this Lizzie, I'll see you in a bit."

She went to grab her stuff and headed down Diagon Alley to the stationary shop to collect their order. It was only a quick trip; less than five minutes there and back. Lizzie stumbled back into Ginny's office, surprised to find the room empty as the pile of supplies in her hand spilled on to the desk. She paused to take a breath, looking around the room. Although she'd been working for her for two months, Elizabeth had yet to get a proper look in her boss's office. She smiled at the pictures on the desk: a golden frame with a picture of her in her Holyhead Harpies uniform; a wizarding image of her and Harry Potter dancing on their wedding day… she went to look closely at a third image but dropped it as the sound of the door slamming distracted her.

"Shit, sorry. I was just looking for my Mum. Wait… Elizabeth?"

Lizzie cringed at the conversation she didn't particularly want to have but straightened her glasses and turned around to face James.

"James, hi."

"Hi. I wasn't expecting to see you here."

She smiled, despite herself. "I don't see why not, I do work here."

He laughed. "Yeah, yeah of course you do."

Awkward silence hung in the air a few moments before James broke it once more. "Did you have a nice time at the club? I saw you there a few nights back. Were you there with your friend Clara?"

"Yes, I did have a nice night thank you. I wasn't with Clara though. I was meeting up with some of the girls from the Harpies."

"You've caught the Quidditch bug then?" he smiled and crossed his arms across his chest in amusement.

"Maybe just a little."

"I'm glad."

The pair both jumped as the door to the office opened once more. Ginny looked between the two as she walked in. "Jamie? What are you doing here?"

James pulled his eyes away from Lizzie, being sure to keep them fixed only on his mother. "I was in the area and since it was nearly lunchtime, I thought I'd take my dear Mum to lunch."

"Well that's unusually thoughtful of you James."

"Hardly unusual!" James defended.

Ginny rolled her eyes and looked rather to Lizzie than James. "You wouldn't mind if I left the office for an hour would you Lizzie?"

"Of course not. You go enjoy your lunch."

Ginny offered her junior a look of gratitude as she left the room. As James went to leave, he hesitated on the handle and turned back one last time. "It was good to see you again, Elizabeth."

"And you."

Once he had left, Lizzie crouched down to pick up the frame she had dropped, brushing off the dust.

A younger version of James' smirking face looked up at her, dressed in Gryffindor robes and holding exam certificates. Lizzie sighed. "Why do I keep running into trouble?"


	8. A Walk in the Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Of course this isn't to do with a man! James Sirius Potter means nothing to you. He's just a spoilt celebrity whom you annoyingly keep running into. Don't think about him ever again.
> 
> She needed some sleep. She was most definitely going crazy.'

Lizzie sat at the dining room table, her thoughts a whirl storm in her head as she tried to decipher what to write. _This shouldn't be so hard. You're just writing out the match commentary from yesterday._

"Honey, you're free to go pick up James up tomorrow- right?"

Her ears perked up at the sound of that dreaded name. She looked at her mother with a look of crazed confusion in her eyes.

"Excuse me?"

"Jane. Your niece? You said you'd pick her up from school tomorrow."

Lizzie sighed in relief, "Yeah- Jane. Of course. Yep, I'm still picking her up.."

Her mum shook her head as she folded her ironing impeccably. "My goodness, Elizabeth, you've not half been away with the fairies recently. Are you unwell? Shall I book an appointment with a doctor?"

Lizzie just laughed and ran a hand through her hair. "Mum, I'm fine. Work has just been a bit stressful, what with the league starting and all. I wouldn't worry about me."

"Well that's a relief." She threw her head to her chest. "I was concerned that there was a man involved who I would have to be dealing with."

"A man? Don't be ridiculous, mum- when do I get the chance to meet any decent men?"

Mrs Hartley smiled a mischievous grin to her daughter, "You never know- you might have bagged yourself a hunky Quidditch player."

Lizzie rolled her eyes as she got up to leave the room, kissing her mum on the cheek as she walked by. "It's 2028; nobody says hunky anymore."

She sauntered up to her bedroom, smiling even though she was a little troubled underneath. _Of course this isn't to do with a man! James Sirius Potter means nothing to you. He's just a spoilt celebrity whom you annoyingly keep running into. Don't think about him ever again._

She needed some sleep. She was most definitely going crazy.

The next few days were a mad rush at work. With teams from all over Europe competing in the British-held tournament this year; there was fierce competition not just between the Quidditch teams but between rival newspapers.

Who could get the interview with the star player first? Who had the most accurate predictions? Which match commentary was the most exhilarating? All of these little things were beginning to push Lizzie over the edge, and it was only Wednesday! She threw her head onto the desk and groaned loudly.

"I know that feeling," Ginny laughed as she walked into the main office.

"Ginny this is hard enough usually. All this competition makes me wonder if it's even worth bothering writing."

Ginny scoffed and gave a look of offence. Of course it's worth it. Each journalist offers a unique perspective. The stories we tell are just as much our own as they are that of the people who we interview. You'll eventually understand what I mean."

She smiled up at the woman she considered a mentor, grateful for her words of wisdom. Her face slowly sunk as she realised that she was preparing to leave.

"Wait- are you leaving?"

Ginny shot Lizzie an apologetic look as she put her work into her handbag. "Yeah, I'm sorry. It's my brother's 25th wedding anniversary, so I have to go help set up their house for the party. It's coming up to 4, so it's only an hour or so on your own. Just reorder these player profiles for me and then you can be off. Thank you for all your hard work."

Lizzie waved goodbye and slumped into her chair as she was left in the office alone. The quicker she was done with this- the quicker she could leave. The prospect of having a hot shower; getting into a big, baggy hoodie and going to sit in the park with a good book sounded like the best possible option right now.

By 6.30pm, she had been successful in completing both her work and the first two items on her checklist towards a good evening. She rummaged through her bookshelf, biting her lip slightly as she thought through her decision. She nodded with a sense of achievement as she pulled out one of her all-time favourites.

She sauntered down the stairs, excited to finally have some time to herself. She slipped on a pair of Converse and headed out of the door, walking the short distance to the local common. She smiled as she breathed in the fresh air and walked into the vast parkland. Lizzie curled up next to a big tree at the side of the path, so relieved to get her peace and quiet. She checked her watch. Just coming up to 7pm.

Lizzie managed to get through a chapter of her book and was just about to start the next when she was interrupted by what was becoming an all too familiar voice.

"Elizabeth?"

Her eyes widened in shock horror. "Really? Is this really fucking happening right now?" She slammed her book down to the ground and turned to James to glare at him angrily. "Bloody hell- are you stalking me?"

James threw his hands in front of him as an act of defence, and tried to hide his laughter. "Believe me, this is purely a happy coincidence."

Lizzie's voice escalated into an angry shout. "Happy coincidence?! You just happened to be wandering through my local park?" she yelled sceptically.

"Yes actually!" James retorted. He took a breath to calm himself, and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I'm on the way to my uncle and aunt's anniversary party. They live about 15 minutes away from here. I tend to apparated to this park because I happen to enjoy the walk there."

Lizzie sniggered, "You expect me to believe that?"

"Well if I'd just come out to stalk you, I promise I wouldn't have dressed up so fancy." He tugged at his tie to emphasise his point.

Lizzie eyed him up and down once more before breaking out into an embarrassed laugh. "Of course you wouldn't. I'm sorry. It's just that this is becoming a regular occurrence and I guess that it's made me just a tad paranoid."

James shrugged, a hint of a smirk appearing on his face. "I'm pretty sure that it's a sign from the universe."

Lizzie raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "And what exactly is the universe trying to say."

"Well that our paths are linked of course."

That made Elizabeth laugh out loud.

James sat down beside her and leant his head against the tree. "All I know is that the one time I've been rejected was by you, and since then, we seem to keep running into one another. I believe in that sort of shit- and this is definitely a sign that we're somehow connected."

She sighed beside him. "Say we are connected in some way- that doesn't mean that I should just leap into your arms."

"I didn't say it meant that." James chuckled, "I just don't think we should ignore all the supernatural signs."

Lizzie looked in his eyes to see whether there was any seriousness in them, and was surprised to find herself enchanted by their oak coloured hue. She turned away quickly and returned to her book.

James continued to observe her for a few more seconds before his eyes dropped down to her book. He smiled in recognition at the cover.

"Once a king or queen of Narnia; always a king or queen of Narnia."

The corner of Lizzie's mouth tugged up in surprise. " _You've_ read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe? Always full of surprises, aren't you Jay?"

"Of course I've read it. And don't suddenly act as if you're interested to knowing me."

She looked at him awkwardly and apologised.

"Don't be sorry, I'm winding you up." He gently punched her arm to reassure her.

"So," she started, trying to lighten the mood. "How did you, son of the most famous magical family in Britain, end up reading a muggle children's book?"

"Children enjoy children's books be they muggle or magic, Elizabeth. Also, my Dad was raised by muggles, didn't you know? In fact, his bedroom was a cupboard until he was 11. I think the idea of finding a magical world in one appealed to him."

Elizabeth couldn't help it, she laughed, and it was so genuine that it made her go slightly red. James rolled his head towards her, and the wonder in his eyes made her want to blush further. Lizzie pulled herself into her overly large hoodie.

James sighed. "Well I better get going. Upsetting Aunt Hermione is never the best plan."

Lizzie nodded goodbye as he got up to leave. "It was surprisingly good to see you. I hate to admit it, but I somewhat enjoy your company."

James smirked, "What did I say? A happy sign from the universe that we were meant to be together."

She smirked right back. "Don't get ahead of yourself. I still don't think you're as hot as you seem to think you are."

He rolled his eyes and began to walk out towards the main road. "Believe me- you will soon enough!"


	9. Making a Statement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the final of the Quidditch season! And James has something to say to the press.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas you lovely people! Sorry that the wait has been so long but I have been very busy these last few weeks. I hope that this chapter is okay. It's got more Quidditch than romance, but as I have said quite a few times, I don't want to rush this story too much. I hope you enjoy this, and that you are having a blessed holiday season however it may be spent.

Frankly, James couldn't quite understand it. He was currently in bed with what was a really very attractive girl, and yet he wasn't happy. This woman was really _really_ attractive, and was at the moment showing herself to be very talented too, yet James' mind was still getting distracted. Yes, he was having extremely good sex right now, but he probably wouldn't even remember this girl's name in a week or two. Actually… S _hit. What's her name? Oh good merlin that felt good. Yes Sarah! Aah! Sarah- there we go._

It had been nearly two months since his encounter in the park with Elizabeth, yet it seemed to keep plaguing him. He'd seen her around a few times since them, but he hadn't really talked to her; either because there was never any time to talk, or because he wasn't quite sure what to say. Not that he didn't have anything to say, he was James Sirius Potter- he always had something to say… it was just that he didn't want to say the wrong thing. Elizabeth was the 'do it properly, woo and date kind of girl'; it wasn't as simple as it was with Sarah or even with Tara. There wasn't any feelings involved there- it was fun and casual. He wasn't sure what feelings he did harbour for Elizabeth, but he did know that he couldn't get her off his mind. He just hadn't deciphered why. There were too many thoughts running through his head; once he had gotten rid of this girl, he was off to the pub for a pint and watching the football. He needed muggle right now… and alcohol. He definitely needed alcohol.

* * *

The League had been going very well for the Falmouth Falcons. They had been proving exactly why they were the no. 1 team in Britain, and were trumping some of the other European teams. There had been a couple of injuries and a few personal issues, but overall the team had been giving the performance of their lives. The final was lined up to be in less than a fortnight, and James fully intended on playing in it. His whole life right now was Quidditch. Well Quidditch and the little glimpses of Elizabeth that kept slipping into his mind. Also the multitude of women he had been sleeping with to stop those little glimpses overflowing.

He probably should have felt bad for using these girls, but he was trying every distraction technique that he could think of. Elizabeth wasn't thinking about him, so why should he bother wasting his time thinking about her.

He did however feel bad about the consequences of his techniques. He'd missed a floo call from Lily the other day because he'd been otherwise occupied; he'd been late to practice once or twice; he didn't see his family as much. He was meant to be the Captain of one of the best Quidditch teams in Europe. He needed to start bloody acting like it!

When the next match arrived, he took deep breaths as he entered the stadium. He closed his eyes for a moment to block out the noise. He was awake, he was alert- he could do this. As he opened his eyes again, a plethora of fans dressed in grey and white came into view. He also saw his mother stood at the front of the reporter's box, and it brought him back to reality. These were the people he needed to make proud- and to do that he needed to focus. He clutched his broom tightly and hopped on.

The microphone switched on and the commentary started. James bit his lip. He was made for this.

Needless to say, they smashed the game. James celebrated his victory with a French super model that happened to be at the after party, and by the end of the night, his problems were the furthest thing from his mind.

A week and a bit later, he found himself preparing for a different match- the final. Otherwise known as the biggest match of his career so far.

He smiled as he looked up to the VIP box. He could see the majority of his family stood there, sporting the same merchandise as the fans who usually cheered him on. As he looked amongst them he saw his dad ardently trying to avoid the press; his younger brother, Rose and Scorpius laughing at one of their many inside jokes; Molly and her husband David trying to fan themselves in the August heat… He could even spot Teddy and Victoire, with their son Hector perched on Teddy's shoulders, rocking a pair of sunglasses that Jay assumed were his father's, and even their youngest member of the family, Louisa, rested on Victoire's hip. James smiled at the support of his family. They believed in him. He believed in himself- this was their moment. In what had become an all too familiar action, James got onto his broom and prepared to rise into the air.

_The match has begun! All fourteen members of the Falmouth Falcons and the Grodzisk Goblins are up in the air- ready to prove themselves worthy of being the champions of the EQA's 2028 League._

_Darek Lovski of the Goblins takes the Quaffle and he is making his way across the pitch. Bronwyn of the Falcons is tight on his tail, ready to intercept at any moment, and here's her chance! Greene has just batted a Bludger straight past Lovski's face, making him drop the Quaffle- which is now in the Falcon's possession._

_Miss Bronwyn zooms across the pitch, making a quick side pass of the Quaffle to Potter as she goes. He catches it effortlessly before moving even further towards the goal. He's going to attempt to score and… ooh, Gielgud makes an expert save. Potter cusses under his breath but moves swiftly back into position._

_The Goblins are back in possession, with Wiktoria Czarny gracefully flying towards Adams at the other goal. She passes the Quaffle between her fellow chasers and yes, Piotka closes in on the left hoop, and he scores! The first goal of the match goes to Poland's Grodzisk Goblins._

_As Adams throws the Quaffle back into the centre of the pitch, the Falcons rearrange into a new position, preparing to take their defence to a new level. The Goblins are still in possession, with Piotka and Lovski making a succession of passes which the Falcon chasers are yet to intercept. A Bludger, shot by Sharma, has hit Piotka's hand, making him lose his grip on the Quaffle. Kara Sylvester has regained possession for the British team. She does a corkscrew on her broom, distracting her opponents as James Potter flies alongside her. She passes to him and he dives low to Bronwyn, who is ready to catch the Quaffle. She takes control, flying towards the goal and she shoots through the centre hoop- scoring the Falcon's first goal of this final._

_The Falcons remain in possession, now seeming more confident in their abilities than before. Potter in his first tournament as Captain, has shown himself to be a valuable player throughout and is continuing to show us this now. He pays no attention to the attempts at distraction around him, relying on his Beaters to have his back. He flies deftly towards the goal, determined to score… and he does! The 2_ _nd_ _goal for the Falcons here has been scored expertly by James S Potter. This game is definitely looking to be a good one._

_** 1 hour later**_

_The score is currently 60-40 with the Goblins in the lead, and the Falmouth Falcons look anxious to catch up. There's yet to be sight of the Snitch, but wait- have I spoken too soon? Wright seems to have caught a glimpse of something as he moves into action from his before passive state. Dobrev seems to have been shaken awake by this and is now following him as he chases the Snitch. She has now seen it too, and makes to overtake him. He senses her actions and continues in his pursuit. She has almost caught up to him now, in fact she's pulled up beside him, making it neck and neck. The Polish players have become entranced by this chase and Bronwyn has utilised this distraction to score their team's 5_ _th_ _goal of the match. The crowd is in uproar at this magnificent plot twist._

_Meanwhile, Wright has managed to get slightly ahead of Dobrev, but she is still just as likely to catch the Snitch. They are now both within finishing distance, and it looks like; it is! That's it people. The home crowd are all going crazy as Wright catches the Snitch- meaning that the British based Falmouth Falcons have won the EQA's European League this year._

* * *

James is overwhelmed as he tries to process the match that just happened. They did it; they had won. He flew down to the ground and embraced his team in a hug that gleamed of sweat, exhaustion, but also pure delight. He beamed, not even bothering to hide the tears rolling down his face.

He had to drink nearly a gallon of water to calm himself, as the various newspapers bombarded each member of the team with a multitude of questions. James answered each of them eagerly, relishing in the attention. His mum pushed through the reporters and threw her arms around him. He returned the gesture with a childlike enthusiasm.

Ginny squeezed tighter, even though the cameras all looked on. "I am so bloody proud of you Jamie. You were all spectacular out there today. Just you wait until you see your dad- he's an absolute wreck."

James laughed at the thought, even if he wasn't much better than a wreck himself.

Ginny pulled away and brushed down her son's robes. "I'll leave you to get through this round of interviews, and I'll get you to make your statement for the Prophet later." She smiled proudly at him once more, before leaving the team's room.

As Ginny left, James spotted Rita Skeeter armed with her quill, ready to get an interview. _Shit._ He was slightly concerned as to what she may ask, but was also slightly relieved to not have to go over every single one of the team's tactics again.

Rita Skeeeter shimmied over, her bright yellow heels clicking against the floor as she moved to stand in front of James.

"So, Jay Potter. First question- has this victory finally helped you move out of the huge shadow cast by your parents?"

He looked at her incredulously waiting for the laugh, but it never came. Jamie just rolled his eyes and answered. "Well it was probably the point in my life where I had a defining moment where I no longer cared about being a Potter as I was just being myself. I really hope that today will help people to understand that I can be so much more than my parents."

She didn't notice his sarcastic tone.

"Your fans were all out in force for today. What would be your message to them?"

He shook his head as an expression of his awe. "I can't even begin to express my gratitude, but I'll try. Thanks to the fans so so much. Your enthusiasm and kindness is nothing but incredible. This will probably be censored in the paper but oh well- I fucking love you guys!"

Rita laughed, chewing her bottom lip as her quill finished off its quotes. "One last question. As winner of the Sexiest Wizard of the Year award more than once, it's the question of everyone's mind. What is happening in the love life of James Sirius Potter?"

James ran his hand through his hair nervously as he tried to come up with an honest response. _You know what? Fuck it._

"Actually Rita, it's funny that you should ask that. The truth is that I have my eye set on someone. I met her around 4 months ago and she is constantly on my mind. I've been with other girls since then, but my thoughts always end up wandering back to her. I am single still- but this one girl just has me so confused. I wish she would just give me a chance."

Rita gasped dramatically. "You poor darling- how tragic! I hope that this makes her see how foolish she has been to pass up an offer from a man as beautiful and wonderful as you are. You read it here first folks, James Potter is a secret romantic!"

James sighed as more reporters flung themselves forward to interrogate him. He was probably going to regret that in the morning.


	10. Let's Be Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Ginny might be right. There's no harm in getting to know a person. I don't need to date him to spend time with him. He'd be a fun friend. A friend. Yeah- I could make that work.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies, I'm back. I know one update a month is hardly any, but I'm afraid that it's really the quickest I can go at the moment. Hopefully this chapter will make up for it. Things are starting to happen, I'm chucking in game changers… It's all going down (but hopefully it's not awful!). Anyway. I hope this is okay. If it's not, please don't hate me, just let me know in the reviews. Love you long time, maties.

"Good morning," Lizzie greeted cheerfully as she got to her desk at the Daily Prophet.

"Good morning to you too," Ginny smiled. "Enjoy your time off?"

Lizzie nodded. "Immensely. Sorry to have left you on one of the busiest weekends of the year but I was running on empty, and in fairness- it was my brother's 30th birthday."

Ginny waved a hand flippantly. "There's no need to apologise, you needed rest. What did you do to celebrate?"

Lizzie shot Ginny an intentional look which was met with laughter. "So you got rather drunk then?"

Lizzie just smiled; her family and Ginny were some of the only people she could relax enough to socialise with in that way. "Anyway… I've somehow managed to miss all the news, so I don't actually know the results of the match. Care to enlighten me?"

And just as Ginny had done to her previously, Lizzie deciphered the answer through just one single look.

"No way! The Falcons won? That's amazing! Congratulations- you must be so proud," Lizzie squealed as she hugged Ginny tight.

"Aww, thank you, I really am. First big league as Captain and they won."

"Was it a good match?"

"Bloody brilliant. Not a single predictable moment; both teams brought their A game. To be honest, I had resigned myself to the Goblins winning, but those last few minutes were played expertly. I have never been so proud in my life."

Elizabeth's eyes glistened at Ginny's 'proud mother' moment. It reminded her so much of her own parents and all the ways in which she was blessed to have them.

"Well then." She rose to her feet. "I better have me a read of your match report on the front of yesterday's paper."

Lizzie heard a scoff coming from her boss. "You can read my match report, but it didn't make front page."

Lizzie's features squinted into a look of confusion. "What? That was the biggest match of the year so far- how could it possibly have not made the front page?!"

"Well apparently, according to Rita Skeeter and Merlin knows who else, my son's love life has been deemed more important that the game." Ginny handed the newspaper to Lizzie, whose eyes widened as she saw the title:

_**Harry Potter's Son Hides Heartbreak through Quidditch Victory.** _

Lizzie gulped, then sat down to face the article.

_Yesterday was a difficult day for the young James Sirius Potter, whose Quidditch celebrations were darkened by sad rejection._

_The gorgeous James, who hails from Godric's Hollow, and has 4 times won Sexiest Wizard of the Year, divulged to us here at the gossip column of the Daily Prophet, that he had been rejected by the love of his life._

_Potter says that after only four months of knowing this girl, he has been "blown away". How tragic that she does not care for him as he does her. However, this is not surprising given his parents' romantic history. His father- rejected by his friend, Hermione Granger, married her husband Ron Weasley's sister as an act of revenge. My colleague Ginny often travels for her work, practically having left Harry, the chief of the Auror department, to raise their 3 children on their own. Some speculate that Ginny's bad mothering is what led to her daughter Lily Luna moving to Paris by herself at the tender age of 19._

_So sad it is that James, who is called Jay by his many friends, would also have to suffer that heartache. He says that this girl does not "care for him in anyway". How could she not? She must be absolutely barmy! Even the great ex- headmistress of Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall, was extremely fond of the boy, and even allowed him to call her by the pet name 'Minnie'. The thought of anyone rejecting this sweet, wonderful man is enough to bring tears to my eyes._

_It breaks my heart that on what many are calling the 'best match of his career', this poor young man had it tainted by some miserable, deluded devil. We hope that this heartbreak in no way affects his flourishing career. If the girl who hurt this national treasure in such a way happens to read this, I hope she feels ashamed of her actions._

_This has been Rita Skeeter reporting for the Daily Prophet._

As Lizzie's eyes came to the bottom of the page, she groaned and threw her head on the desk in front of her.

"I know right. It's abysmal! It's 2028, and they still let shit like that get on to the front page. I swear to you, Lizzie, if Skeeter actually worked from the office instead of hiding away in a hole at home, she would be regretting ever calling my abilities as a mother into question. How dare she?" Ginny's voice grew louder before sifting into a sigh.

"I wonder who the girl is. He hasn't mentioned anyone for ages."

Lizzie squirmed before gingerly raising her hand, to which Ginny looked confused.

"You don't have to raise your hand to ask a question. I thought you'd know that by now."

She took a deep breath. "I _do_ know that. I'm not asking a question, I'm answering one…"

"Answering? What do you me-?" The cogs all clicked into place.

"Oh."

"… Yeah."

"Is it awkward if I asked what happened?"

"Yes, but I'll tell you anyway. Basically, after I interviewed him back in April, he made me a proposition. I said no- of course I did- but since then, he seems to keep cropping up. He says that it's the universe sending him a message, but obviously that's rubbish."

"Why's it rubbish?"

Lizzie's head shot up at the unexpected question. "What do you mean?"

Ginny shrugged. "Well maybe the universe _was_ trying to send you a message."

"Really? So what, I should just declare my non-existent undying love for him? Because of a few happy coincidences?"

"Well no- that would just be ridiculous."

Lizzie sighed in relief. Then Ginny continued.

"But it wouldn't kill you to give him a chance. Look, I know I'm slightly biased, but James has a good heart."

"I don't doubt it. There's no way he couldn't have with who his parents are."

The two women smiled at each other.

"What's the problem then?"

"Well…" Lizzie paused for a moment, and threw her arms up in frustration. "I don't know him! And I'm not really in the habit of dating people I don't know."

"Well in that case, here's what I suggest. Get to know him."

The younger girl's eyebrows creased at the advice. "You act as if that's easy."

Ginny shrugged. "It is." She grabbed a piece of paper and began to jot down something. "This is Jamie's phone number. I know you prefer to do things the muggle way."

Lizzie took the piece of paper, tucked it into the pocket of her skirt, and pushed her glasses back up her nose. "I think I'm going to try and get some work done." She went back to the papers on her desk.

Ginny's eyes lingered on her a few moments longer, then she let her lips slip into a small smile and returned to her work too.

* * *

"I'll see you tomorrow Ginny." Lizzie said as she gathered her stuff together.

Ginny returned the gesture from her desk. "Don't make things too difficult for yourself"

Elizabeth just rolled her eyes before grabbing her stuff and making her way out of the office. As she wandered to the Leaky Cauldron she contemplated her boss' words. _Ginny might be right. There's no harm in getting to know a person. I don't need to date him to spend time with him. He'd be a fun friend. A friend. Yeah- I could make that work._ Her fingers curled around the paper in her pocket. She pulled it out and then used her other hand to rifle through her bag for her phone. By the time she had stepped back onto muggle London's polluted streets, Elizabeth Hartley had come to the conclusion that she would end up calling James Sirius Potter tonight. She took a deep breath before dialling Jay's number into her phone.

It rang a few times before going to the answer machine.

" _Hey, it's Jamie. Bit busy living my life to answer the phone right now. If you leave a message, I'll get back to you. Unless it's Al. In which case, don't ring me you prick."_

Lizzie rolled her eyes and chuckled at the message, but found herself silently relieved that he hadn't picked up.

"Hi James, it's Lizzie. As in Elizabeth Hartley. Look, I saw that article in the Prophet and we need to talk about it. Your mother seems to think that I should get to know you, and… well it wasn't the stupidest idea I've heard. Don't think that's me admitting to liking you, because it isn't. It's me saying let's be friends. I'm willing to go as far as to try that- but nothing more for the moment. So yeah, that's all I've got to say, I guess. Phone me back whenever. Don't let this get to your already large head. Okay. Bye."

As she hung the phone up, she swore under her breath and continued on her way home. Just as she was leaving the train station near her house, she found her phone ringing. She made quickly to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Elizabeth, it's Jay. Do you mean it?"

"What?"

"Your voicemail. Will you really give it a shot?"

"Hang on- I said friends. Just friends."

"Okay, friends, whatever- but you'll stop avoiding me?"

She sighed. "Yeah, I guess."

She could almost hear his smile down the phone and it surprised her the way in which he lost his usually cool demeanour.

"That's awesome. I'll text you tomorrow. We'll do something."

And before she had the chance to respond, he had hung up the phone.

"Well I guess I'm doing something with James Potter tomorrow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this was okay. I wrote this whole chapter today in my free. I hope the characters I've painted weren't too ooc. I kinda just felt like this would be their gut reactions to the situation. Please review and feel free to share this with fellow HP next gen fans and such


	11. A Game of 20 Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James and Lizzie give the being friends thing a try, and get to know each other a bit better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE DON'T KILL ME. I am so sorry; I know that this update is ridiculously late! College has been ridiculous… Actually just life has been ridiculous. However, I am getting on top of things. Well, I'm on top of my work enough to write you a beautiful chapter with James and Lizzie ACTUALLY communicating and stuff. It is dialogue-heavy but I hope it pleases all you wonderful little readers. You guys are the bomb.

Lizzie stopped outside the door of the Leaky Cauldron, tempted to just turn around and go home. _What if he hits on me? What if he tries to kiss me? Lizzie- he won't; not after what happened last time. He's persistent though- maybe he'll pressure me. No you're being stupid. Ginny raised him much better than that. For goodness sake, Elizabeth! It's just a drink- it's not a date._ She gulped, took a deep breath, pushed all of her stupid irrational fears to one side, and wandered into the pub.

She looked around each table until she found him there, at a small table in the middle. As he spotted her, he waved. _No turning back now._ She smiled awkwardly as she approached the table. When she got there, he stood up to greet her.

"Elizabeth, hey!" James said as he went in for a hug.

Lizzie's hand stopped him by grabbing his hand in a firm handshake. "James. Hi."

He was confused for a second at her rejecting his hug, but he quickly moved on from it.

"It's really good to see you. Shall we sit down?"

Lizzie nodded before sitting down opposite James. He ruffled his hair. She pushed up her glasses. Apart from that, it was as if a silencio charm had been cast. They sat like that for an awfully prolonged moment.

She sighed. "If it's going to be this awkward, then I may as well leave."

His eyes widened instinctively. "No please, don't leave. I'm sorry… I'm not really used to this."

"What, dinner without any sex after?"

He snorted. "No, but it's great to know that you believe all the papers though."

A hint of a smile came on her face, "What, then?"

"Getting to know someone, I guess." he shrugged. "You know, making friends."

"I always thought that you had a lot of friends."

"I do, but I don't usually have to work so bloody hard!" he laughed.

"You know me, I like to go against the grain."

"No- I don't know you. Well according to you I don't, anyway. That's why we're here, is it not?"

"True. And to drink. I believe we're also here to drink."

Luckily James laughed and went to the bar to get them something to drink. It gave Lizzie a moment to get her bearings. _Stop being so weird. Get to know him. Become his friend. Oh, and don't forget to breath._ When he came back with two butterbeers, Lizzie was somewhat relieved. Although she wanted time to think, she didn't need too much. That would just make her bail on this whole 'being friends' thing.

"So," James started as he sat down once more, "I was thinking, we need to do something to get to know each other without it being so bloody awkward."

As Lizzie sipped her butterbeer, an idea popped into her head. "I know- let's play 20 questions."

"What's that?" James asked.

She shrugged. "It's a muggle thing. Pretty self-explanatory really; we have 20 questions to try and find out about each other."

James chuckled. "Those muggles are so creative… Go on then. You go first."

Elizabeth sat for a moment as she pondered what to start with.

"Okay. What's your favourite food?"

His eyebrow raised, "Really? That's all you could think of?"

"I'm easing into it!" Lizzie defended.

"Well… I love a good burger. Cheese, bacon, gherkins, onions- the works." Lizzie nodded in approval. "Also, my nan makes the best chocolate cheesecake in the world."

"My question now. Favourite colour?"

"Green" she said without any hesitation. James made a face at her answer. "What's wrong with green?"

"Slytherin colour, isn't it? Got to hate it on principal."

This made Lizzie roll her eyes. "It's also the colour of spring. And besides, wasn't your sister in Slytherin?"

"Yes, but Lily is my baby sister. That makes her immune from any Slytherin hatred."

"Okay, whatever makes sense to you. What was your favourite birthday?"

He thought for a moment and laughed. "It's got to be my 17th. Coming of age and all. My cousin Freddie organised the party, and let's just say- I don't remember most of it! If not that one, probably my 9th. My uncle Charlie had come from Romania and he bought me a really good racing broom."

"Who's your best friend?" he asked next.

"From Hogwarts, it's probably Clara- that girl I was with in Diagon Alley that day. My closest friends are called Tom and Jenna. They're muggles."

"Muggles?" James questioned.

"Yeah, well," she hesitated, "I _am_ a muggleborn."

She knew that in the wizarding world there had been two wars over something as arbitrary as blood status. So even though she knew that now there wasn't much to fear- she was still always somewhat apprehensive in revealing that she was muggleborn.

James thankfully just continued as if it was nothing. _Well, of course he would. His parents are war heroes._ "Question for me now." He said it with a childlike enthusiasm.

"Favourite book?"

"Muggle or magic?"

"Do you read a lot of both?" Lizzie asked, being pleasantly surprised. She hadn't met many focused athletes who read a lot in their free time. "Both. Why not?"

"Muggle is probably The Three Musketeers. I like to compare them to Dad, Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione. Favourite wizarding novel? That's more difficult. I'm going to go with the Melodie Moskovitz series."

She smiled, "You're into teenage girl fiction?"

"Hey!" he said disgruntled. "There are no such things as girl books and boy books. Also, I've got to say them- my cousin is the author after all."

"Very true indeed."

"My go- what did you want to be when you were little?"

Lizzie's cheeks went crimson as she reflected on the dreams of her younger self. " Well I wanted to be a warrior princess when I was really little…"

Jay's eyes lit up and his face broke into a wide toothy grin.

"However! I have wanted to be a journalist since I was 9. Favourite flavour ice cream."

"Orange and Firewhiskey. Nothing quite beats it."

Her eyes gleamed with curiosity. "I've never had it. We'll have to go and get some, sometime."

"Yeah we do!" James scoffed. "Worst date?"

Her blush returned, even though she knew that she should have known that these kind of questions would come up eventually.

"A couple of years ago, my mum set me up with a son of her friend. It was awful. He took me to see some crappy romantic film, said nothing to me afterwards as he walked me home; yet still had the audacity to get annoyed when I didn't kiss him afterwards."

"What a Quaffle."

"My sentiments exactly. Well- since you went there, I'm going there too. First kiss."

He laughed and went to ruffle his hair yet again. "I was in 2nd year. A was a 4th year. Slytherin girl- friends with my cousin Molly. She said she wanted to 'prepare me for all the girls who'd be all over me'."

"And did it?" Elizabeth asked cheekily, supressing a smile.

"It wasn't great, to be honest. Place you'd most like to visit?"

"When I was younger, I had this atlas and it had photographs of lots of different places in it. There was this one amazing phot of the Norwegian fjords which I completely adored. So there I guess. That's half the questions done. If you were stranded on an island with no magic whatsoever- what would you take with you?"

"No magic at all?" She nodded. "You're a cruel girl, Elizabeth."

She laughed and took another sip of her butterbeer while he struggled to find an answer. "A large supply of food. Moving on quickly now… Your worst habit?"

"I chew on the inside of my cheek all the time."

A little smirk graced his face. "I'd noticed that."

"Who inspires you?"

"My parents," he said without even a pause to think. "Or my grandfather- the one I'm named after. He died in the first war, but apparently I'm a lot like him. At least that's what Minnie says."

"Minnie?" Elizabeth asked.

Jay smiled. "Professor McGonagall."

"The paper was actually telling the truth then? I didn't know that Rita Skeeter was capable of that."

He full on guffawed. "The woman doesn't have an honest bone in her body! She's still convinced that Dad has a thing for my Aunt Hermione, which is weird beyond belief. Her latest article though- well if you ignore the extent to which she exaggerated, most of what she said was true."

"I've 'blown you away', have I?"

James' face grew serious. "A little bit, yeah. I'm still not quite sure what it is, but I'm drawn to you."

Lizzie stared at him a moment before breaking the silence with a cough. "Well that sounds like it's veering into romantic territory, and since this is not a date and we are here as friends; I' m swiftly moving on."

She thought she saw his eyes drop to her lips for a second, but he granted her request and moved away from the topic. "Yeah. Right: my question. What's the stupidest thing you've done when drunk?"

"That's a hard one," she remarked, scratching her head. "Probably the first time I ever got drunk. I was 15 and at a family wedding. I insisted on dancing, then proceeded to throw up on my brother's best suit."

"That's rough!" James laughed.

"Tell me something about your brother and sister."

His eyebrows shot up, surprised at the question. "My siblings? Where do I even begin?"

"Wherever you like," Lizzie persisted.

"Well Albus is a goofball. I mean they made sure that Dad had no say in his applications, but I'm still not completely sure he didn't bribe someone to let Al on the Auror Squad. He's a good kid- always has been, he just isn't the brightest flame. He's very loving: too loving in fact. It scares off most of the idiots he dates, which is quite a lot."

"And your sister?"

"My baby sister? I love her more than anything. That sounds so sappy, but I really would do anything for Lily. She's a genius- like seriously creative. She's a designer, has a shop out in Paris."

"I think your mum mentioned that actually."

"There's no way she wouldn't. Lily is our little princess. She has all of us at her beck and call."

Lizzie smiled at his openness about his family. It really was heartwarming, and it was a side of him she didn't expect to see. In fact, it was a side to him she hadn't realised existed.

"What's your idea of a perfect evening?"

"Easy! Long hot shower, followed by curling up on the sofa under a large pile of blankets with popcorn in one hand, a glass of wine in the other and a good film on tv."

"Favourite class at Hogwarts."

Jamie rubbed his forehead. "I was pretty shit at school, but the class I most enjoyed was Defence Against the Dark Arts. Shooting spells everywhere was fun, I was somewhat good at it, and Professor Ruskin was a bit of a legend. What was your worst class at Hogwarts?"

"Transfiguration. Can't do it to save my life. Okay then, my last question. Best advice you've ever been given?"

"Don't let anyone else write your fate for you. Make the choices you want to make, and damn whst anyone else thinks of them."

The tone of his voice caught off guard. "Who told you that?" she asks in little more than a whisper.

"Harry Potter. Who else?"

Lizzie thought of everything that she learned in the history books. How Harry Potter had nearly been killed time and time again. How the entirety of his teen years had been overcast by a prophecy that was uttered before he could do anything about it. How by the age of 18, he had lost so many of the people he loved, because of a fate that he had no say in following. She gulped. That was probably the best advice that Harry Potter could give.

"So I've got one last question, yeah?"

She nodded in response.

"Do you… have any tattoos or piercings?"

"That's what you're wasting your last question on?" she laughed.

James shrugged in place of a reply. "It's not like it's the last question that I will ever get to ask you ever."

"I guess. Nope, I haven't got any tattoos, and the only piercing I have is in my ears."

He smiled, before looking down at their empty glasses. "Well. Now that we know a bit about each other- what do you say to going out for a walk? I know for a fact that there is a great park near yours."

The reminder on his appearance in the park made her laugh. "Yeah, why not?"

They stood up and Jay held out his hand to hers to leave the pub together. "Well Miss Hartley, I have to say that I think this could be the start of a beautiful friendship."

"Well Mr Potter," she said, taking his outstretched hand, "I'm going to have to agree."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we go! I finally updated! :D Not my best chapter by a long shot, and I haven't even proofread it in my attempt to update quicker, but I'm hoping you found it cute? Now these guys are actually getting to know each other and becoming friends, the story can progress a bit further than James chasing her and her running. I will update quicker than last time. I hope. Ta and please revieeeewww.


	12. Friends in High Places

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lizzie is introduced to Tara and Freddie, a.k.a, James' best friends, and they find themselves bonding on a muggle day out.

"Good morning!" Fred greeted warmly as James pulled open his front door.

James simply nodded and continued eating his cereal.

"I have to say," Freddie started as he pushed into the corridor, "I'm pretty impressed that you're up before 10."

"I have plans," he shrugged.

Fred's eyes lit up with a mischievous grin. "Plans you say? Do these plans happen to be with the person that _all_ your plans have been with for the last fortnight?"

James' eyes avoided his best friend's. "Maybe…"

His response was met with a wide smile.

"Shut up. Besides, what are you doing here anyway? Don't you have work? Or a wife and child to be spending time with?"

Fred ignored James' question and just got on with wandering into the kitchen and pouring himself a drink. He then proceed to take a large gulp and perch himself on the dining table. "Nope. No work today- I've left my minions in charge of the shop today. And Maya and Julia have gone for 'girl time' at her Mum's. So I thought- my best is friend is off work for a month, as is my other best friend, I should probably contact them and do something."

Jay bit his lip. "That sounds great and all, but Mum has given Elizabeth the day off, so I can't really ditch her."

"Bring her with us- Tara and I are hardly scary."

James stopped what he was doing to glare at Fred. "Okay, I'm not scary at least. Come on, Jamie- if you're going to replace us, I at least want to meet your new and improved friend."

"Don't be like that Freddie- I'm not replacing you. I'm allowed to have other friends aren't I?"

"Not ones that are hotter than us."

He laughed. "Well what did you want to do?"

"I don't know- something fun. Go to the beach? A walk in the forest? We could wander into town? Oh, I know!"

"What?"

"Let's go to a theme park!"

"You know we're adults right?" James asked sceptically.

"We're super cool, awesome, fun adults and you know it." he replied immediately; an eyebrow raised and a finger pointed.

James crossed his arms across his front. "Well I can't argue with that."

Freddie smiled. "Please Jamie. I need to do something to rekindle my youth. I'm the Dad of a seven month old and frankly it's starting to scare me."

James thought about it for a moment. "I'll talk to Elizabeth and see what she says."

Fred practically jumped him. "Yes! Thank you! You, my friend, are a hero."

He rolled his eyes but proceeded to head up the stairs to find his phone. When he had, he scrolled through his contacts to find Elizabeth's name. His thumb hovered over it as the cogs turned in his mind, but before he had time to really process it- he'd already pressed the button.

"Hello?" Lizzie's voice came down the line.

"Hey, how are things?"

"Yeah, they're good, thanks. Are we still on for today?"

"Actually, that's why I phoned."

"Oh." It was all she said, but James could hear her disappointment.

"No, no, no, no, I'm not cancelling," he hurriedly tried to backtrack. "It's just that my best mate has shown up and said that he wants to go a theme park today. I told him that I had plans with you, but he is insisting that I should just invite you too."

Silence hung through the phoneline as she took a few seconds to think. "I'm up for a theme park."

James smiled, even though he knew Lizzie couldn't see.

"She said yes yet?" Fred's voice called from the bottom of the stairs.

"Just a sec," he murmured to Lizzie as he headed into the corridor to yell at Freddie. "Yeah, she's up for it."

"Sweet. Has she got a car?" Freddie smiled sweetly, as James rolled his eyes once more.

"I'm back. Um Liz, you don't reckon you could bring your car, could you?"

"Yeah, I can drive. It just means that it will take me half an hour or so to get to yours?"

"That is absolutely fine. I'll see you in a bit."

He hung up and went down to meet Fred. "Is she driving here?"

"Yes, she's driving. Now, are you contact Tara or what?"

"Yes!" Freddie exclaimed. "Your partiality for muggle girls does come in useful."

James scoffed, even if his face was going red. "I am not partial to muggle girls; and besides, how did you even know that Elizabeth was muggleborn?"

"Mum told me. Our parents are quite the gossips."

"I'd noticed," he muttered under his breath. "Now come on, we have about half an hour to be ready to go, so get TJ here and I'll go to Diagon and get some muggle money sorted for us."

"Roger that, Captain," Freddie saluted as James pulled his wand out his shorts and apparated away.

* * *

"Gooooood morning!" Fred practically sang as Tara rolled in through the fireplace.

"But is it good, Freddie?" Tara disgruntledly asked, pushing her large designer sunglasses up her nose.

"Why, of course it is- we're going to fucking Thorpe Park."

"Yes, but you're not hungover like you have had a hundred hexes shot at your head at once!"

Fred burst out laughing. "It's a Wednesday morning!"

"I'm off work and I'm recently single, Fred, give me a break." she whined.

"Give me a breeeeeaaak," Freddie mimicked Tara's Scottish accent and James joined in as he apparated into the room.

"I've seen you way worse than this, so you most definitely can't give me any grief, Potter," she said it with a stern expression, but as soon as she'd finished, she flung her arms around James. "Aww, look at us- the old team back together."

Freddie ran towards them and jumped on to the hug. "We're so cute."

Their moment was cut short when a knock at the door caught their attention. Fred, being on the outside of the hug, pulled away.

"I'll get it."

* * *

Lizzie stood outside awkwardly in the sun as she waited on the steps of 12 Grimmauld place. She knew that no muggle could see her currently and the thought truthfully weirded her out a little. She was also more than a little bit nervous to be spending the day with James and his friend. Everyone knew that Jay was the rambunctious sort, and though she'd really enjoyed getting to know him over the past few weeks, she had no idea what was in store today.

When the door eventually opened, it wasn't James' cheeky smirk that greeted her, but rather a very similar expression on a completely different face. The boy had warm brown skin, dark hair which she suspected would be curly if it were any longer, and wore a wide smile. He was rather lanky, and held himself awkwardly, yet he was undeniably handsome.

"You must be Elizabeth- the new friend," he held out his hand for her to shake, and she instantly met the gesture with her own hand.

"Lizzie actually, but yes that's me. You must be the old friend."

"That would be me. The name is Freddie Weasley, and sadly I'm married. Just thought I should break the news to you now, before your heart was broken when James told you later on."

She laughed exuberantly, and found herself thinking that she'd get along with this man just fine.

"Fred, you're not embarrassing her with your awful sense of humour are you?"

The boy at the door made a face of disgust as he turned around to face his cousin.

"You're an actual ass."

"My ass is great, but let's not dwell on it. Hey, Elizabeth."

"Hey!" Lizzie greeted as James pulled her in for a hug. Although a month ago she spent most of her time wishing he didn't exist, she was now feeling pretty glad that she's let him into her life. She found that he had the uncanny ability to make her smile even she'd had the most abysmal day. Also, he always smelt really, really good. _Obviously, that will never be said out loud because that is not something you say about your purely platonic male friend, Lizzie!_

"So it's just 'Lizzie' to us common folk then?" Fred winked from behind James and headed back to the sitting room.

"I'm sorry about him. My uncle passed on all his worst traits."

She smiled in response. "They seem like pretty good traits to me."

James leant forward, a concerned look on his face as he held his hand against her forehead. "Damn it- he's got to you already."

She pushed away his hand and made her way down the corridor. "So are you boys ready to go?"

"Us boys are, TJ however, isn't."

A baffled look fell on Lizzie's face. "Who's TJ?"

"The third segment of the trio."

"Oh, okay." Lizzie hadn't been expecting a third person, and as James led her into the room, she definitely wasn't expecting to see who she saw.

"Lizzie, hey! We've met before briefly, through work stuff, but if you don't remember, I'm Tara."

"I remember." Frankly, there was no way that Lizzie could forget. Tara Wood. The girl was absolutely gorgeous. Although she was only 5'5", she had legs which seems to look much longer, and she had long, straight brown hair that fell down to a slender waist. The girl looked like a supermodel, yet somehow was one of the best Beaters in the country. When one thought of a beater, they tended to think of big, stocky men, yet Tara managed to play better than most of them. In fact, it probably helped that she looked like she couldn't do much damage. People never used to see it coming when she used her wicked arm to aim a bludger straight at them. Of course, now everyone knew exactly what she was capable of.

"I'll be ready to go in a minute. I just need to help myself to a hangover draft and a large glass of water." She stated.

"Well, you know where the kitchen is." James shrugged.

"That I do," Tara replied, her hands patting James' cheeks as she squeezed past him out the doorway.

"Is there anyone else joining us that I should know about?" Lizzie asked, hoping that she didn't sound as awkward or intimidated as she felt.

"Nah that's it," James responded, oblivious to her slight discomfort.

_Why are you even uncomfortable, Lizzie? He's obviously allowed to have other friends, especially since you've only been friends with him since the start of the month._

_Yeah but I wasn't expecting Tara freaking Wood. She's so great at everything; it'll just make me seem inferior in every single way._

_Wait- am I arguing with myself? Wow, that's pathetic._

"Lizzie, are you okay?" Fred chuckled. "You zoned out there for a moment."

She came back to her senses and offered a weak smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, it's just quite warm."

"I know right! The only bad thing about this weather is that it means that it's going to be packed out when we get there. 2 hour queues for each rollercoaster probably."

"That's why we're gonna buy fast passes, Freddie." Tara said as if it were obvious.

Lizzie had to admit that she was pleasantly surprised by their muggle knowledge. "Have you guys been to Thorpe Park before then?"

"Of course," they all answered simultaneously.

Tara elaborated further. "When we were kids, it was a lot easier to hang out in muggle places. I mean, we all have famous parents and we preferred to avoid the press. No offence to you, as a journalist, of course."

"None taken. Well, I guess it's good you know your way around. Just means we can get through everything quicker."

"Exactly," the older girl smiled.

"Well, let's stop dawdling and get going!" Freddie encouraged; guiding them all out the front door.

All of them, being the mature adults that they were, bundled out the door, and piled into Lizzie's car as soon as she unlocked the doors.

"Well then." Lizzie exclaimed enthusiastically as she started the engine. "Let's go on an adventure."

* * *

"So Lizzie, how has work been lately? I can't imagine there being much to do at this time of year." Tara asked as they waited in the queue for their first ride of the day.

"It's going alright. Mostly catching up on admin stuff, I guess." she shrugged.

"So, how come I don't remember seeing you around at school?" Fred butted in, leaning his elbows on Tara and Lizzie's shoulders.

Lizzie instinctively tucked a hair behind her ear. "I wasn't really a people person. I spent most of my time either in the library or the Ravenclaw common room."

"Yeah but-"

"Okay, let's all stop interrogating Elizabeth now." James stepped in, starting to feel uncomfortable with the way that his friends were grilling her.

"Aww," Tara pouted, coming up behind James to wrap her arms around him. "Is little Jamie getting jealous that he's not getting all the attention?"

"No, of course not."

"Then let us get to know your friend." She squeezed harder before letting go completely.

James tried to shoot a look of apology to Lizzie, but she didn't see. He should've known that this was a bad idea. From what he'd learned about Elizabeth, he knew that she had never been the best with new people, so throwing Fred and Tara at her at the same time probably wasn't the wisest move. By the time he'd finished admonishing himself for being an idiot, they had managed to get to the front of the queue.

"Hey James," a questioning voice beside him caught his attention as they clambered on to the seats of 'Nemesis Inferno'.

"Yeah?"

"Would you mind holding my hand? I get a bit nervous on these things."

He nodded as he tried to supress a goofy grin. "Yeah, of course Elizabeth."

She smiled at him; a sweet genuine smile, before pulling down the bar to hold her in and grabbing his hand.

And then they were off! James loved rollercoasters and usually would love to focus on every single sensation that came over him. The wind rushing through his slightly too long hair, his legs knocking together as they went round any bend, the ridiculous screams of his friend; yet all of that was secondary today was because all his bloody mind could register was Elizabeth. The way she crinkled her nose as she squeezed her eyes shut behind her glasses, and how her laugh was melodic even between squeals, and how ridiculously soft her hand felt clutching on to his for dear life. He was thinking _way_ too much.

He needed to try and focus on the adrenaline.

"That was great!" was the general consensus as they stumbled off, slightly dizzy.

"Where to next?"

"Let's do Stealth." James suggested. The overly tall, overly fast, extremely exhilarating ride was exactly what he needed to get a certain someone out his system.

"Let's do it."

* * *

"I want doughnuts." Tara stated assertively.

"Go get them then?"

"I will! Come on Fred." She grabbed him and pulled him away from James and Lizzie and towards the doughnut stand.

Lizzie laughed and James' face lit up just watching her. She turned back to look at him, and blushed when she realised that his eyes were already on her.

"Can I ask you something?" her face went serious.

"Ask away."

"You and Tara. Why did you break up?"

James shot up straight and his eyes widened at the question. Then he could no longer hold back laughter. "Me and Tara?"

The blush on Lizzie's face threatened to deepen. "Yeah, you two had a thing, didn't you? I kinda just assumed what with the flirting and the closeness and all."

"Believe me, Tara and I have never been a couple and never will be. Merlin- we'd end up killing each other."

"Really?"

"Definitely. We're way too similar. I love her to bits, and she's a beautiful girl, but there's nothing romantic between us."

At these words, Lizzie's whole self relaxed. She didn't even notice but James did.

"Why? Were you jealous or something?"

"What? That's ridiculous. What reason would I have to be jealous?"

"Beats me. We're just friends after all, aren't we Elizabeth."

The rest of the day went on the same, though Lizzie had clearly now softened more towards Tara. James was relieved that Lizzie got on with his friends. He had to admit, he wasn't completely sure that she would. Not that they weren't all lovely people, it was just that Lizzie was quite different from the other girls James had introduced them to. She was more reserved, more humble, and though she had a fighting side- she was more gentle.

At the end of the day, they said their goodbyes and Lizzie drove away home. Before Fred left however, he'd pulled James to one side and looked him directly in the eyes.

"If you don't end up married to that girl, I'll never forgive you."

Reflecting on it, James came to the conclusion that he probably wouldn't forgive himself either.


	13. A Family Affair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Al's birthday and James drags Lizzie along to join the festivities.

"You're an absolute gem, you know that?"

Lizzie blushed. "I think you're exaggerating a little bit."

Ginny shook her head. "I'm not. Even with a day off this week you managed to organise all these match reports by date order as well as update the player profiles folder. You're an absolute star and you make me look lazy!"

"Well that's not true at all, but thank you, Ginny."

The older woman smiled. "Lizzie, I was going to say- it's Al's birthday tomorrow so we're just having a little get together- close family and friends round for tea. James has been making excuses not to come, and since you're his only excuse."

Lizzie blushed as Ginny continued.

"Well I thought it'd make sense if you just joined us."

"I… I couldn't possibly intrude," Lizzie blurted out.

"Nonsense! You're a dear friend to both me and Jamie, and if that doesn't warrant an invite- I don't really know what does."

It was, in Lizzie's opinion, a bit harsh to crash a stranger's birthday, but Ginny was so kind, and she wouldn't want to turn down her offer… "Well okay then. Only if you're sure."

"That's settled then. I'll send James to pick you up around 5ish tomorrow then."

Lizzie nodded, amazed at how quickly that had all happened. She shook it off and got back to work.

* * *

_Knock Knock Knock._

Lizzie jumped as she heard the door, putting down her make-up as she prepared to go get it.

"I'll get it!" her mum screamed up the stairs.

Lizzie went bright red at the thought. "Please don't embarrass me Mum. He's just a friend."

Her mum muttered back some non- descript mumbling as Lizzie went on with finishing getting ready.

James smiled as an older woman opened the door with a big cheesy grin on her face.

"You must be James."

"So I've been told."

"Come on in," she said, ushering him through the door.

He stood there in Lizzie's corridor awkwardly, hands fumbling with his wand in his pocket, trying to make it seem natural. Lizzie's mum was clearly giving him the once over; evaluating his character purely from his stance, and though he'd been judged his whole life, this was probably the most nerve wracking he'd found it. For some reason, his usual charm and Gryffindor bravery seemed to falter under Mrs Hartley's gaze. Just as he thought he'd found it again, and was about to step up and say something, all of his courage was lost again when a man that he presumed to be Lizzie's dad stepped out from a room.

James swallowed quickly and offered his hand out for a handshake. "Mr Hartley. It's good to meet you sir."

Elizabeth's dad accepted the handshake, and shook his head in a firm nod. A small smile crept on to his face. "So you're the one that our daughter keeps ditching us for."

James went red but tried to keep his nerve. "She's been ditching you, sir? I'm very sorry to hear that."

The older man stood still for a moment before breaking into a soft chuckle. He had warm brown eyes that crinkled as he laughed, and though James thought that most would find him comforting, he was struggling to himself.

"I'm not sorry at all."

The response left a bewildered expression on James' face. "Really?"

Mr Hartley shrugged, his arm naturally falling to rest on his wife's shoulder. "She's 23. She needs to go out and have fun a bit more. And I think it's good for Lizzie to have a close male friend, you can scare away anyone who looks at my little girl in a non-platonic way."

James laughed awkwardly, hoping it sounded more genuine than scared. It was at this moment that Elizabeth bounded down the stairs.

"Thank fuck." Jay muttered under his breath.

"Did you say something?" Mr Hartley questioned.

"No," James answered almost too quickly.

Lizzie shared a look with her parents and James could sense that it was a threat of some sort for if they had embarrassed her.

James coughed to break the silence. "Are you ready to go?"

Lizzie's eyes shot back to him before checking through her purse. "Got my phone, wand, keys, a birthday card for Albus"-

"You didn't need to get Albie a birthday card," James snorted. "Merlin, I didn't even get him one."

Lizzie shrugged, tucking her hair behind her ear, her face going slightly red. "Well I didn't want to seem rude. I mean I am crashing his birthday party."

He rolled his eyes. "It's not a party. It's just dinner and cake with the family."

"Exactly. I still don't know why I was invited." She mumbled.

At this, her mum gave her a quick flick of the ear. "Stop complaining and go enjoy yourself girl!"

Lizzie's face went red again, which James had now learnt was a very common occurrence. It was also pretty cute he thought, before mentally checking himself.

"Shall we go?" he asked.

"Yeah let's, " Lizzie replied quickly before pulling James out the front door with nothing more than a wave over her shoulder to her parents.

She sighed in relief. "So are we apparating there?"

James chuckled. "No, actually. I thought we'd catch a bus."

"A bus? From Richmond all the way to Godric's Hollow?" Lizzie's face looked confused.

James licked his lips as they settled into a smug grin. "You never travelled on the Knight Bus?"

Lizzie's face dropped. She hadn't ever travelled on the Knight Bus, but she'd read and heard enough to make her extremely hesitant to ever do so.

"Surely we can just apparate?" she pushed.

"Nope." James shook his head, and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You're a 23 year old witch whose never ridden the Knight Bus. It's basically a rite of passage so we're going to do it now."

The fear widened her eyes, making James crack up laughing.

"Don't freak out. I've got you." he said, his eyes looking straight into hers and his hands coming to rest on her shoulders.

"You better," she muttered under her breath as James stuck his wand into the road as if hailing a taxi.

Within seconds, a large purple bus zoomed to stop outside her house, the whole thing shaking as it came to a halt.

She took a deep breath as James grabbed her hand and pulled her up onto the bus. Lizzie was only half aware of James telling the lanky man who welcomed them that they were going to Godric's Hollow, being too amazed by the rest of her surroundings. Looking along the length of the bus, she saw seats splattered around randomly, filled by what could only be described as a vivid assortment of people. In one seat she could see an elderly witch in bright pink robes, in another a teenage couple in a position probably not so appropriate for a public place, and further along she saw a grumpy middle aged man in mismatched muggle clothes, twirling a wand around his finger lazily.

"Elizabeth?" her attention was drawn back by James' eyes resting on her.

"So, where are we sitting?"

Jay shrugged. "I thought we could go upstairs?"

She nodded, following him up the tight staircase that led up to the next floor. This floor still had a few interesting faces, but considerably less than the one they had emerged from. She and James settled into some seats. Just as they were about to leave, James leant over to whisper something in her ear.

"I'd hold on to something if I were you," and before she could question what he meant, the bus went flying and so did she, nearly falling off her chair before James grabbed her and pulled her back, a laugh bubbling from his throat. "So this is the Knight Bus."

"It definitely lives up to the stories," Lizzie let slip out.

James threw his arm around her shoulder, letting it rest there as he enjoyed the amusement of seeing Elizabeth experience something he'd known his whole life. The moment was interrupted as a woman besides them starting staring intently at James.

He coughed awkwardly, "Can I help you?"

"I'm sorry, but aren't you Harry Potter's boy?"

"That would be me." He replied with no trace of annoyance at being recognised as such.

The woman beamed massively at his reply. "Your father is a great man."

"He's pretty great yeah," Jamie smiled.

"Such a wonderful, wonderful man. I owe him my life. If it weren't for him, Umbridge would have killed me. I'm a muggleborn you see."

"I'm a muggleborn too," Lizzie interrupted.

The woman seemed startled to realise that there was someone else there, but her focus still remained on James. "Is this your girlfriend? She's very pretty."

"We're just friends," he said as his arm came back to his side and his eyes suddenly became very interested in the floor.

Luckily this was when the bus announced that they were at Diagon Alley, and the woman left them. When she did, James let out a sigh of relief.

"Do you get that a lot?"

"From time to time," he shrugged.

"That must be hard."

James shook his head. "Well it's not like they ever say anything bad. They usually just want to tell me how Dad saved their life."

Lizzie smiled, deciding to change the subject. "So who's going to be at this little gathering tonight?"

James thought for a moment before placing his hands in front of him to count out the list. "Mum, Dad, Al, Nanny and Granddad, Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione, Rose, Scorpius, maybe Hugo and his girlfriend I don't know, Uncle Nev and Aunt Hannah, Ari and Tim, Aunt Luna, Uncle Rolf and the twins and us. I think that's everyone."

"I thought your mum said small gathering?" she asked, slightly terrified.

"Believe me- that is small for a Weasley- Potter party."

"You listed like 6 war heroes on that list; I think I'm underdressed."

He snorted, "don't be a fangirl and you'll be fine. And I think you look lovely."

Lizzie blushed again and James can't help but wonder how much more she would have blushed if he had said that he thought her legs looked great in those jeans, and that her yellow top made her hair look golden. He also wondered how far down her blush went and then he wondered if he should probably stop wondering before an awkward situation arose.

'Godric's Hollow' was announced and James felt himself let out another small sigh of relief as him and Lizzie climbed down the stairs and hopped off the bus. Lizzie looked around, and she felt as if she had been transported back in time. They were stood in a quaint village square, with a post office, an old sweet shop and a church all in sight. Her eyes drank it all in, her hand running across a stone sculpture they were stood next to. As she looked at it more closely she realised that the sculpture was of Godric Gryffindor.

"Don't muggles question this?" she asked, her hand still leaning against the cold stone.

"It's spelled so muggles see something different."

Lizzie's attention was drawn away from the monument as the church bells chimed. Noticing her attention on the church, James spoke up. "My grandparents got married in that church. They're buried in that graveyard too."

Lizzie reached over and grabbed James' hand, squeezing it gently. He squeezed back, before looking down the road to the right. "We should probably go before my mum gets pissy at us for being late."

He began to walk, his hand letting Lizzie's drop, as they walked through the small twisty roads the short distance to the Potter's cottage. As they reached the front gate, Lizzie's eyes gleamed at the house in front of her. It was a beautiful, traditional cottage, with a thatched roof and a wooden frame around the front door. The cobbled stone path that led from the gate to the door had a small patch of garden either side of it, and a colourful variety of flowers lined the path. All of it felt like something from a fairytale, and that was her sole thought as her and James strode up what was the most familiar path in the world to him. As they reached the door, James dug his hands into his jeans pocket and pulled out a small key which he turned in the door. As they stepped through the threshold, Lizzie felt the pressure of meeting so many heroes dawn on her.

The entrance hallway was quite spacious and was painted a cornflower blue. On the left of it was a small door leading into a study, and besides that on the wall was a family photo of the five of them, and from the ages that they looked, she assumed it was taken on Platform 9 ¾ on the day that Albus started at Hogwarts. Pressed against the right hand wall was a large wardrobe, much like one from a C.S Lewis book, which James had pulled out a drawer from beneath and chucked the shoes he was wearing in there. Lizzie got the impression that stepping through that door had reverted James S Potter back to the boy he was when he was living there. James ushered her along the corridor. To the right was an archway that led into what looked much like a dining room, but James instead opened a door in front of them into a cosy living room. Lizzie lingered behind him as his family greeted him. As soon as Ginny spotted her however, she knew that hiding was no longer an option.

Ginny pulled her out from behind James and into a large hug. "It's good to see you Lizzie. Now please try to not look so scared."

Lizzie laughed into Ginny's shoulder. "I'll try."

Ginny pulled away and gave Lizzie a quick wink, before turning towards the people in the room. "This is Lizzie, my wonderful junior correspondent from work."

There was a murmur of 'Hi, Lizzie's' from the room as Ginny nudged her son to introduce everyone.

"Right. Yeah, Elizabeth. So this is some of the family. On this sofa," he said pointing towards a couch pushed against the wall, "that's Aunt Hermione, Aunt Luna and Uncle Rolf, at the back of the room- well you know Professor and Madame Longbottom." Lizzie smiled in recognition. "On the other sofa is Nanny and Granddad Weasley and from that list you can gather that none of the young people are in this room." James added cheekily making his mother swat his arm.

"We're young at heart," Neville added affectionately.

James laughed, before turning to his mother. "In all seriousness though, where's everyone from our own generation?"

"They're out in the garden. So's your Dad and Uncle Ron. They're attempting to light the barbecque."

"Please don't say they're trying to do it the muggle way."

His mother glared at him in a manner that told James that of course they had to do it the muggle way.

"Oh, Merlin."

"Well I'm hoping that eventually Scorpius will see how much they're struggling and offer to help." James rolled his eyes at this and began to guide Lizzie from the room. "Where do you think you're going?" Ginny asked in what could only be described as a motherly tone."

"Outside to see my brother."

"Not before you say hi to your grandparents properly you're not."

Jamie groaned as if he were 10 years old and went over to greet the senior Weasleys. Lizzie hung by the doorframe, until a hand brushed her arm. She looked to her left to see Hermione Weasley staring fondly at her.

"It's lovely to finally meet you Lizzie. You've made Ginny's life so much easier these past months."

Lizzie smiled and gave a small shrug. "I've just done my job, nothing more."

"Well I don't think that's true for a second." Hermione started but never had the chance to finish as James had led Lizzie out the room, through the dining room, a left turn into the kitchen, and out through the back door.

James sauntered over to a barbecue where two men were standing in deep conversation. From the dark hair on the shorter one, and flaming red hair on the other, she had come to the conclusion that she was about to meet the great Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.

"You still not worked out how to light that thing yet?"

The men jumped at the sound of James' voice, before turning to face him with massive smiles on their faces. Ron pulled him into a big hug which James gladly returned.

"It's really good to see you Jamie."

Ron and James entered into a conversation about Quidditch as Lizzie hung back waiting for the opportune moment to introduce herself. Harry's eyes fell on her, and noticing her awkwardness, he stepped away from Ron and his son to make the first move.

"Hello. You must be Lizzie," he said politely, those famous green eyes emitting nothing but friendliness.

"Yes that would be me," she stammered out.

Harry leant in towards her and in a whisper said, "I'm not nearly as famous as the books make me out to be, you don't need to be scared."

Lizzie broke into a chuckle which Harry returned.

"Of course, sorry. It's just crazy to think that I'd never have been able to study magic if it weren't for all that you did."

"It wasn't just me. It took a lot of people to win that war."

"I know… and so many of them are here right now. It's quite overwhelming."

Harry shrugged. "Right now, there are no war heroes here. Not even me. To you, I'm not the Boy Who Lived; I'm just Ginny's husband or Jamie's dad. Take your pick."

Harry's words calmed her, and she was grateful for them. "Thank you Mr Potter."

His hand went up to stop her. "None of that please, Harry will suffice."

"Oi Dad, you're not trying to steal my friend, are you?" James smirked as he moved towards them.

"Well if you're not going to introduce her, I thought I ought to introduce myself."

James rolled his eyes. "Home for 10 minutes and I'm already in trouble with both my parents."

"Nothing changes, hey James?" Ron called from by the barbeque. "Nice to meet you by the way, I'm Ron," he directed towards Lizzie.

"You too." She paused before speaking up again. "Do you need some help with that barbeque? I'm muggleborn so I can handle these things without magic."

Ron smiled in surprise. "Yeah, that would be really helpful actually."

Lizzie walked over, putting her bag down and rolling her sleeves up to help Ron out. James couldn't help but smile as he watched her. Harry couldn't help but smile watching James. He nudged his son gently, shaking him to attention.

"Shut up, Dad." He mumbled embarrassed.

"I didn't say anything!" Harry objected as James wandered further down the garden, leaving Elizabeth in his Uncle Ron's capable hands… Or the other way round.

The group of young people welcomed him as he approached, Albus rising to meet him in a tight hug. "Happy birthday, little bro."

"Thank you!" Al said, though his face was confused when he pulled back. "I thought Mum said you were bringing your bae?"

"She's not my bae." Al snorted. "And I did bring her- she's just helping Uncle Ron." Albus glanced over his brother's shoulder to observe the girl in question.

"Ooh she's hot."

"She's okay, I guess." James commented, but he couldn't keep the grin off his face.

"We should probably save her from Uncle Ron. Scor- switch places with James' bae so the rest of us can meet her."

Scorpius nodded dutifully, immediately going over to the barbeque. James followed him to make sure he didn't say anything stupid.

Scorpius ran a hand through his hair as he stopped in front of Lizzie. "Hi, I'm Scorpius."

She introduced herself, as she looked at the man in front of her.

"Well Lizzie, I think you should go chill. I can take over here, can't I Mr Weasley?"

"What have we said about that?"

Scorpius fumbled to correct himself. "Right, sorry Dad. Haven't got used to the sound of that yet."

Ron smiled and Lizzie could sense that he was proud of the blonde man. "Scorpius is going to be my son-in-law. Great lad he is. Nothing like his father."

Scorpius laughed, and Lizzie found herself doing the same. James butted in. "Yeah yeah, Malfoy is great- let's move on."

James dragged Lizzie back to the other end of the garden and introduced her to everyone. "Hey guys, this is my friend Elizabeth. Elizabeth, this is everyone. And by that I mean: Rose; Albus; Ari; Lysander; Tim and Lorcan," he said as he pointed at each person in the group.

Lizzie waved at them nervously as her and James sat with them on the ground.

"Oh," she exclaimed, remembering herself as she pulled a card out of her bag. "Happy birthday, Albus."

"That's so sweet. Thanks Elizabeth," Albus replied, slightly stunned.

"No problem, honestly."

"I like your friend James. Go get her a drink."

James laughed, but got up to get Lizzie a drink regardless. When he did, a pretty redheaded girl with bright blue eyes and a friendly smile moved close to her. James had pointed her out as Rose.

"It's nice to meet you Lizzie. I'm a big fan of your stuff in the Prophet. You have this casual way of writing that really helps connect with the players."

"Thank you, that's so kind. Are you into Quidditch then?"

Rose nodded, sipping from the bottle of Potter Ale in her hand. "Used to play for the school team, but now, not so much. I mean we still try and get to as many games as possible, but I'm a Healer so the shifts are ridiculous and my fiancé Scorpius works for the Minister, so has to always be readily available to jump in."

"So that's _your_ fiancé then? Well congratulations."

Rose thanked her, her cheeks blushing like a schoolgirl at the mention of her crush. At this point James returned, making some classic older cousin comment about how he would kill Scorpius if he even thought about hurting her. Rose rolled her eyes, but smiled fondly in a way much like her mother had earlier.

"So how did you two meet?" Rose asked.

Both of them blushed, before Albus peered into the conversation. "Wait- this isn't the Elizabeth that shot an aguamenti charm at you the first time you met, is it?"

Their blushes deepened.

"To cut a long story short, we met when I interviewed him for the paper," Lizzie quickly injected before she could get any more embarrassed. To her credit, Rose didn't push the matter further.

* * *

Lizzie fell into a somewhat comfortable pattern of small talk with James' family and gradually became less anxious as the night went on. She managed to click well with Rose, who apart from her confidence, was very similar to Lizzie herself. She also managed to engage in conversation with Professor Longbottom's daughter, whose awkwardness matched her own. James got into his own conversations, and though Lizzie thought that she'd mind that, she found that she didn't. She did catch glimpses of his conversations that peaked her interest however. For example, she was curious as to why he was comforting one of the twins, and why his sister's name kept popping into that conversation. She let it go- it wasn't any of her business after all. After the food was ready, the adults actually moved outside and she found herself able to chat to a few of them too. James' granddad was a really sweet old man, who as soon as he found out that Lizzie was a muggleborn, proceeded to ask her an onslaught of weird and wonderful questions. She smiled constantly, happy to answer every single one. She also had a chance to catch up with her old Herbology professor, who had been one of her favourite teachers at Hogwarts.

By the time people had started to leave and go their own way- Lizzie found herself at ease with one of the most famous families in the country. She had even gained an invite to Rose and Scorpius' impending nuptials. She decided to take her minute on her own, casually leaning against the wall as she watched James converse. Without her noticing, Harry came to stand beside her.

"Thank you," he said, seemingly out of the blue, making Lizzie's eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"What for?"

Harry formulated a perfect response in his head before saying it out loud. "For being a good friend. Ginny really struggled when Lily moved away, and since you started working for her- it's as if she has regained a daughter. And you've done wonders for Jamie. At the start of this year I was seeing him more on magazine covers than I was in person. He's changing. Has been since he met you."

Harry smiled, but walked off before Lizzie could even start to think of a reply. Lizzie was astounded. Ginny thought of her like a daughter? She was overwhelmed by the kindness. This family had welcomed her with open arms and shown her nothing but love and appreciation even though they barely knew her. Her mind slipped into wondering what it would be like it they actually were her family. If she married James one day, they could be. Would Harry talk about her with the same reverence which Ron spoke of Scorpius?

Catching where her thoughts were heading, she pushed herself away from the wall to find a large glass of water to clear her head. She needed to get out of this house. It was starting to mess with her head.


	14. It's a Date!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James has a date. Lizzie isn't too sure how to feel about it all...

"Nope. I still don't get it."

Lizzie rolled her eyes and sighed for what felt like the hundredth time. "I really don't understand what about the whole concept is so baffling to you. James and I are friends. Just friends. The same way that you and I are friends. We hang out together, talk to each other and like spending time together. That's it."

Clara dwelled on it for a moment, twirling a small teddy from Lizzie's bed in her hands. "No- still not getting it."

Lizzie laughed, turning away from her computer to glare at her friend.

"What? I'm just saying; if I was all buddy buddy with someone that hot, I wouldn't waste time being _just friends,_ I would be going straight to the nitty gritty."

"Well I'm not you, am I?"

"No you're not, but what you are is young, beautiful and completely available!"

Lizzie shook her head, refusing to even offer a response.

"I know that you're over Danny- because you were over that within like a month. So what's stopping you?"

"It just doesn't feel right." Lizzie said bluntly, hoping that Clara would get the message to drop the topic. Of course she didn't.

"I'll tell you what doesn't feel right, Elizabeth Taylor Hartley: third-wheeling on a cinema date with you and James Sirius Potter. That doesn't feel right."

"For goodness sake Clara, you're not third-wheeling, and I've booked 3 tickets now so you have to come."

Her friend sighed, sitting up on the bed. "Fine, whatever. So what time is this movie?"

Lizzie glanced back at the computer to double check before confirming for Clara that the movie was at 4.20.

"Well, we should probably get going. You know that cars make me anxious, and I don't want to be in one for any longer than necessary."

"I am a good driver, you know?" Lizzie teased.

"I know you are but it doesn't change the fact that I don't trust muggle transport."

"I don't know about you, but I trust a car way more than I do a broomstick."

"Let's agree to disagree." Clara stated as the pair began to make their way out the house."

* * *

"Are you sure I look okay?" Clara asked again as Lizzie parked the car outside the cinema.

Lizzie quite literally snorted at her friend. "We're going to see a movie, not a play. You hardly need to dress up."

"Yes but we're seeing a movie with James Sirius Potter."

"Okay first, you really don't need to call him by his full name every time you mention him; it's weird. Second- you _can_ see that I'm only wearing jeans and a t-shirt right?"

Clara muttered something under her breath that Lizzie didn't quite catch and the two walked into the cinema complex. Lizzie looked around, spotting James buying popcorn. She went after him, Clara with a rare nervousness following behind.

"Hey James."

He turned around, his face looking thrilled to see Lizzie.

"Hey Elizabeth. And Clara, if I remember correctly?"

"Yep, that's me." Clara said in a way that she hoped came across as charming. She tried to stop herself from staring at James. She couldn't.

"So what film are we actually watching?" James asked Lizzie.

Lizzie shrugged. "Some sci-fi film about how technology is overtaking the world or something along those lines."

"As if I'm not terrified of muggle technology enough already," Clara commented, making James laugh.

"Tell me about it."

Lizzie stood there with her arms crossed as her two friends debated just how much better magic was than muggle technology."

"Yeah, I get it- Muggles are crazy. Let's go watch the film."

James smiled affectionately. "Come on Liz- you know we're only teasing."

The use of a name that wasn't her full one caught her off guard. "Liz?"

"I'm trying it out," James shrugged.

"Well okay then."

Clara carefully observed the two, confused by their constant revolving between friendly banter and subtle flirting. She would be keeping a close eye on them tonight. She needed to evaluate whether Lizzie's report of her and James' relationship was a truthful one.

The whole way through the movie, Clara was preoccupied with watching James and Lizzie's interactions, but besides the occasional brush of hands when going for the popcorn, there wasn't really anything to be preoccupied with. The two people sat next to her, despite the fact they looked nothing alike, could be siblings for all she knew. So instead, Clara allowed herself to be preoccupied by James: his hair which in its effortlessness exuded a devil-may-care attitude, his eyes which looked like melting dark and milk chocolate in a pot together, his soft pink lips- upon which he periodically ran his tongue. _I wouldn't mind if he did that to my lips,_ she couldn't help but think.

After the film they went to a bar for drinks, Clara nodding responses and making noises of agreement at appropriate times as James and Lizzie discussed the film that she was paying no attention to whatsoever.

Then suddenly, the conversation was turned to her.

"So Clara, what do you do for a living?"

"Oh, I work in the department of International Magical Co-operation."

"Nice. My cousin works there too."

Clara laughed, "Don't you have family members in every area of work in magical Britain?"

James tried to contradict her but ended up relenting, letting himself laugh too. He sighed, "Oh the woes of being half Weasley!"

"But you're half Potter too- that must be pretty crazy."

"Well yeah, of course it is; but after a quarter of a century, you're used to it."

"Not to mention the fact that you love the attention," Lizzie teased. James smiled at her with a little gleam in his eye before his attention turned back to Lizzie's friend.

"Girls must flock you left, right and centre."

He shrugged, but failed to keep the smug grin off his face. "It's been known to happen."

Their banter went on like this, Clara's flirting getting less and less subtle and Lizzie getting excluded more and more. At one point she even left to go to the bathroom, came back and it was if they hadn't even noticed. She found herself getting frustrated, and another weird emotion that made her stomach turn, which she refused to believe was jealousy. Eventually she'd had enough of it, so she made her excuses, and encouraged Clara to get ready to go too. Clara obediently followed but not before hugging James in an embrace which Lizzie was sure was too long for two people who'd only met twice.

"I'll owl you!" Clara called over her shoulder as they walked away.

As they got back into Lizzie's car, Lizzie noticed her friend's stare resting on her.

"What?" she asked, annoyed.

"You were telling the truth. You genuinely are just friends with him."

"See. I told you." Lizzie said, though it didn't give her the satisfaction that she hoped it would.

"He's really nice. Like I knew that he was hot and funny, every magazine says that, but I wasn't expecting him to be so nice."

Lizzie's hands gripped her steering wheel a little tighter. "He's not here anymore Clara. You can stop drooling."

Clara rolled her eyes. "I think I should hang out with you guys more often."

"Yeah, maybe you should."

_You shouldn't. You really shouldn't._

* * *

The next few days were busy ones for Lizzie. On the Sunday she had agreed to take her niece shopping ( _turns out 12 year old girls can be quite demanding_ ); Monday she was back to work _(turns out newspaper editors can be quite demanding)_ ; and Tuesday, Rita Skeeter actually made a rare appearance in the office _(I don't think it needs to be expressed how demanding that was)._ By the end of the day on Tuesday, Lizzie was already sure that this was looking to be a bloody awful week and was in need of some light relief. It was early September, so Quidditch training wasn't due to start again for another few weeks, meaning that James was probably up for coming round and cheering her up. She curled up on the sofa, a glass of wine already in hand when she pulled out her phone to call James.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Jamie."

"Elizabeth, hi, how are you?"

"Actually not great." She was about to expand further but was distracted by a distinctly female laughter down the other end of the line.

"Oh, are you out with Tara?" she asked.

"No actually, it's a funny story really."

She heard fumbling as the girl took the phone of James. "Hey boo."

"Clara?" Lizzie spluttered, frankly bewildered to hear her friend's voice on the other side of the phone.

"Yeeeeaaahhh!" the girly voice practically squealed, James chuckling as he took the phone back.

"You're out with Clara?" Lizzie questioned, trying to mask her annoyance.

"Yeah, well I went to go talk to Dad about something at the ministry, and on my way out I ran into Clara. She suggested going to the Leaky for a pint, and I thought why not."

"Fair enough." Lizzie was practically forcing the words out now.

"Actually Liz, I need to talk to you about something." He paused for a while after that; Lizzie assumed that he was moving out of Clara's earshot. "Clara's asked me out on Friday night. On a date."

"Oh," was all that fell from Lizzie's lips.

"And obviously, she's your friend, and I don't want things to be weird between us if I go out with her."

"No, don't be ridiculous, James. You're my friend too. I want you to go and have fun."

He hesitated again, "Are you sure Elizabeth?"

"Completely. Okay, I have to go now- bye."

She hung up immediately throwing her phone to the other end of the sofa. She downed her glass of wine and promptly went to the kitchen to pour herself another.

Yep. Bloody awful week.

* * *

"James is going on a date tonight." She blurts it out to Ginny on the Friday morning and she's not completely sure why.

Ginny looked taken aback, but continued moving around the office, getting her jobs done. "So who's that with then?" she asked nonchalantly.

"My friend Clara." Lizzie replied in a matched tone.

"Did you set it up?"

"Nope."

"Are you happy about it?"

"Not really, no."

Her boss looked at her with sympathy in her eyes, and let out a deep sigh. "By your own rules, you and Jamie are just friends."

"I know that…"

"but?"

Lizzie groaned. "But I'm still annoyed that one of my best friends asked out a guy that she knows for a fact had a thing for me."

"Lizzie honey, you never returned those feelings, so why should it matter?"

"Yeah, you're right. I guess it doesn't." Lizzie sighed, burying her head in work for the rest of the day. She tried to focus on her work, but her mind kept getting distracted by the thought of James and Clara's forthcoming date. Ginny was completely right, she didn't like James in that way so it shouldn't bother her, but for some reason it kept buzzing round her ears like an extremely annoying pygmy puff nibbling at her. It's the fact that James was the one who asked permission to say yes, rather than Clara asking to ask, she thinks. Clara was her best friend at school, and though admittedly they're not as close now as they were, they're close enough to warrant Clara asking Lizzie's permission to date James. She just means, Clara wanted Lizzie to fuck James, and now she was going to try herself? It seemed a bit weird. Oh shit, what if she did try to sleep with James? Clara would never do that, would she? Lizzie glosses back over the conversation she had with Clara after her initial interview with James, and it scares her because Lizzie knows that Clara would. Some kind of friend she was. Though Lizzie did firmly and constantly remind her of the platonic nature of her relationship with James S Potter….

_Damn it, Elizabeth, why'd you do that?_

The rest of her day went on like that, the good and evil angels on her shoulder chirping away at her as she worked. By the time work had finished, she was thoroughly exhausted just from thinking too much.

She said goodbye to Ginny who gave her a tight hug before leaving. _That was a pity hug. She pities you._ Lizzie rolled her eyes at her own subconscious, amazed at how out of character the whole situation had made her. She apparated home, not wanting the stress of walking and buses and trains. She also wanted to exterminate that extra thinking time. The pop landed her straight in her bedroom. She put on the baggiest hoodie she could find, with the hood up, and a pair of men's tracksuit bottom and a thick pair of fluffy slipper socks that dawdled down the stairs.

Her mum looked up from the sofa confused. "When did you get in?"

"A few minutes ago. Apparated in."

"Okay." her mum said, her gaze following her daughter as she headed to the kitchen.

"I'm going to order in: do you want Chinese or Pizza?" Lizzie called into the other room.

"Well you know that your dad prefers pizza."

"Got it."

Mrs Hartley was confused at her daughter's behaviour but knew that Lizzie had had a stressful week so let it slide. In the kitchen, Lizzie had already phoned the pizza place, but was still fiddling with her phone in her hand. She sighed as she clicked on James' name and began to type a message. She hesitated before clicking send, but let it go anyway.

_Have a great time tonight. Text me as soon as you get home to let me know how it goes. X_

The reply came through moments later.

_Thanks Elizabeth. Will do :)_

She stared at it; rereading the four words as many times as humanly possible before letting her phone go black and slipping it back into her pocket. She made herself a cup of tea and slumped back into the living room, grabbing her favourite fluffy blanket and curling up into her corner of the sofa.

"Can I have the tv remote?" she asked her mum, who responded with a silent nod as she passed the remote control to her daughter.

Lizzie clicked onto Netflix, scrolling through to find 'Friends.' _Season 6 is good. Let's go with that._

Her mum laughed. "It amazes me after all these years, people still watch this show over and over again."

Lizzie smiled. "It's a classic. It's comforting."

The front door opened and Lizzie registered the sound of her Dad taking off his work boots as he came inside. She looked up at him with a sympathetic smile. "You really need to think about retiring, Dad."

"Well hello to you too, Elizabeth."

"I'm serious. Mum's retired; you should too."

He chuckled as he dumped his bag on the floor. "I love being a landscape gardener, whereas your mother hated her job."

"Real estate never was very exciting," her mum added.

Mr Hartley smiled lovingly at them before glancing at the tv and noticing what was playing. His eyebrows creased as his eyes flicked back to Lizzie.

"What's wrong?"

"What makes you think that something's wrong?"

He gestured to the tv. "It's series 6. That's your go to when you're upset. Yours is Friends Season 6; Luke's is Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 1, and your mother's is any film with George Clooney in it."

His wife swatted his arm playfully, but his attention never left Lizzie.

She sighed, pausing the show and turning back to her Dad.

"James is on a date tonight."

"Your James?" her mum asked incredulously.

"Well clearly he's not 'my James' if he's on a date, is he Mum?"

"Who's he on a date with?"

"Clara."

"Your Clara?"

"Yes Mum, my Clara!" Lizzie said, growing more exasperated.

"I thought you said that you two were just friends?" her dad asked as he perched himself on the sofa.

"We are." Lizzie said, her voice suddenly shrinking very small.

"In fairness, Elizabeth, you did make it very clear to him that you didn't want to be anything more."

"How do you know that?" she pushed her mum.

"Well I read your papers. I'm assuming the girl in that Rita Skeeter article about James is you?"

Lizzie blushed violently. "Rita Skeeter only ever talks a load of rubbish Mum, you can't believe her."

"So it wasn't you?"

"Yes, it was about me, but that's irrelevant."

Her parents shared a look before looking back at Lizzie together.

"You know, it's okay if you do like him as more than a friend."

"He is a very good looking lad," her mum added.

"Mum!" "Helen!" the other two protested, in equal parts embarrassed.

"I don't know."

"You don't know what?"

"I don't know how I feel, Dad. I love what we have right now- this friendship; the closeness. It's good. It's comfortable. But sometimes, I don't know, I just think that maybe I could want something more. Then I remember that I do really like the whole friends thing. It's just…. Uuuugh! It's just frustrating and confusing and I don't like it, and I certainly don't like that Clara asked him out."

The doorbell rang, interrupting the silence left in the air after Lizzie's outburst.

"That will be the pizza." Lizzie commented, getting up to answer the door and effectively ending that conversation.

After that they all sat round and ate pizza and watched Friends as a family, in comfortable and companionable silence. Her parents both noticed her checking her phone every so often, but neither of them said anything. Eventually they went up to bed, leaving Lizzie downstairs still watching tv and still waiting for a text from James.

She started to get anxious. When the clock struck midnight that anxiety doubled. He said he'd text when he got home. He hadn't text yet. Unless he didn't go home? She thought about texting him again, but knew that she couldn't. She was just going to stay up as long as she could to wait for him to reply. He said he would.

And it was in that moment, as she was sat watching reruns of an old tv show and waiting for a text because of four little words he'd said earlier, that Lizzie realised that maybe she did like him as more than just a friend. In fact, she realised that she was screwed. Well and truly.


	15. Something More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'She was a disgusting mess. Stupid James Sirius Potter making her become this disgusting mess. Stupid Elizabeth Taylor Hartley for admitting that it was James Sirius Potter making her like this.'

"Lizzie… honey?"

Lizzie felt gentle hands shake her shoulder, making her open her eyes and sit up. As her surroundings came into focus, she realised that the empty pizza box from the night before was on the floor beside her, an empty bottle of wine on the table and her blanket was only half covering her.

Lizzie pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked it. When she did, she sighed.

"No new messages?" her mum asked from where she'd moved across the room.

Lizzie shook her head sadly.

"You know," Mrs Hartley started, "You're allowed to phone him."

"Mmm," Lizzie made a contemplative noise which her mum read as a sign to leave.

She stared at her phone for a minute longer before eventually unlocking it. She took one last deep breath before deciding to phone James. Every ring felt like it took an age. When the phone was picked up and she heard a familiar grumble on the other side, she released the breath she had been holding.

"Hello?" James asked, clearly just waking up.

"Hey Jamie, sorry if I woke you up," she said hesitantly, trying to keep her nerve after he hadn't contacted her.

"Elizabeth; no, no of course not."

"So…" A pause. "How did it go last night?"

James paused on the other end of the phone. "Shit- I never texted you, did I?"

"No, but it's okay." It wasn't okay, but she could pretend.

"No it's not. I hope you weren't waiting to hear from me."

"What? No, of course not, that's ridiculous." _Bloody hell Elizabeth, at least try and sound believable._

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well… it's fine."

"Hey look- what are you up to today? We can meet up and discuss yesterday properly."

It needed to be discussed properly? Lizzie sensed that that didn't bode well. "I'm free."

"Okay, sick. Shall we meet down Diagon Alley? We can go to Fortescue's?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

"Awesome- I'll meet you at 1."

"Okay, see you then."

And then he hung up. Lizzie looked around and pulled herself up off the sofa, shocked at herself. She had stayed up the whole night waiting for a text from a guy that wasn't even her boyfriend, in a pile of crap that looked like a person had literally spilled their rubbish bin into one room. She was a disgusting mess. Stupid James Sirius Potter making her become this disgusting mess. Stupid Elizabeth Taylor Hartley for admitting that it was James Sirius Potter making her like this.

She was in desperate need of a shower. She needed to clear her head before she met up with James. Maybe this would help give her some clarity on the situation. It could be a good thing is things went well between James and Clara, that way she could get over whatever little part of her was telling her that she liked them. On the other hand, she still wanted to explore where this thing between them, whatever it was, could go. In the five months since that initial meeting, they had come a long way in their relationship, but there were still plenty of directions in which they could go. If she was willing to try. Something tells her that she would be.

"Calm yourself, Lizzie. Just because you've now come to the realisation that maybe you feel something more than friendship- you can't just jump on that feeling. You need to go about this slowly- think rationally," she spoke to herself in the bathroom mirror- hoping that no one else could hear her monologue. It was all very strange and rather embarrassing.

She found that the shower did help, and after a lot of private arguments with herself, she felt ready to go see James- as a friend- to ask how it went with Clara. She fiddled with her wand and took a deep breath as she apparated into Diagon Alley. She used her hands to comb through her hair one last time as she walked the short distance to the ice cream parlour. As she approached, she could see James sat inside and her stomach did an involuntary flip. She rolled her eyes at her stupid behaviour.

"Hey James," she greeted him with a hug and the pair sat down.

"Hiya, how have you been?"

"Yeah, yeah, I've been good."

"Glad to hear it."

"So…" Lizzie started awkwardly.

"So…" James responded- equally as awkward.

"Your date?" Lizzie pressed.

"Yeah that. It was alright. Went to some fancy restaurant, then went to the Leaky for a pint. Then I just went home."

"And what did you talk about?"

James shrugged. "Work. Hogwarts. Our friends… Nothing that exciting to be honest- just small talk."

Lizzie started to relax but she knew that she couldn't fully until she asked her next question. "So... did you two kiss?"

James went slightly red, pausing before he answered. "Yeah, we did."

Lizzie just nodded, feeling her cheeks burn up a bit.

"But," James added. "I don't think I will be again."

Lizzie's heartbeat picked up at the hope the short sentence provided.

"Any particular reason?" she added not so discreetly.

"Just not the right kind of girl for me, I don't think."

Lizzie looked down at the table, a small smile creeping on to her face. When she looked back up, she was pleasantly surprised to see that a similar expression graced James' face. Then his face changed suddenly, as if he'd remembered something.

"What colour dress are you wearing to the wedding?"

Lizzie's face dropped. She'd completely forgotten that Rose and Scorpius's wedding was coming up in just a few weeks.

"I hadn't even thought about it, if I'm honest."

"Well, let me know when you do."

"Why?" Lizzie asked; an eyebrow raised.

"So we'll match of course," he smiled.

Lizzie's face lit up and her heart lifted. She definitely had feelings for James, and in that moment- there was hope that he felt the same way.


	16. I Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the Scorose wedding! Expect Weasley-Potter family feels, Albus Potter being a mess, and James being more of a romantic then you'd think.

James bit down on his lip as he straightened his tie, ruffling his hair in the mirror once more. He paused, giving his reflection another look, then ruffling his hair yet again. Damn his genes, picking up that habit.

He grabbed his wand, shoved a few necessities into his robe pockets before apparating to the Burrow; right into the heart of the chaos.

"Ah, Jamie, you're here!" his grandmother called him to attention before he could even catch his breath. "Head straight on out and help get the tent set up."

"Sure thing Nan," he responded promptly, for fear of an outburst, before turning right around and heading straight out the front door.

He took a deep breath of the autumn air as he stepped out into the large garden of the Burrow. It was fresh, and surprisingly warm for a morning in October, as if someone was looking down over Rose and Scorpius.

James wandered over to the group of men stood by the large piece of marquee material lying on the ground. As he approached, his Uncle Bill spotted him and a large grin spread across his face.

"Perfect timing James, we only needed one more set of hands to get the job done."

Before he knew it, James was being sent to one post ready to levitate the marquee and push the poles into the ground. He knew today would be hectic: he'd been to enough family weddings to know that, but every single time he was still amazed by how quickly everyone got stuck in the work.

As he stood at his post and awaited instructions, he was finally able to take a breath. Beside him, Hugo noticed this and chuckled. "It feels like more work every time we do this, hey Jamie?"

He laughed in response. "Tell me about it." James turned to look at the younger Weasley properly. "How have you been, Hugo? It's been a while."

"I've been good," he said, and James got the sense that he truly meant it. "I mean, it's still kind of surreal that my big sister is getting married, but I'm really excited for her."

"You given Malfoy 'the talk' yet?"

Hugo beamed, his dimples clearly visible. "I don't think I need to. He's sufficiently scared of us already." James snorted, as he prepared his wand on account of hearing Bill's instructions being called behind his conversation.

"So you're looking pretty suave. Got yourself a hot date for tonight?"

"Just a friend, actually."

"Huh." Hugo raised an eyebrow, "You're not known for having many of those."

James went to protest, but before he could, he was being told to cast 'wingardium leviosa'. It was okay. He'd get Hugo back later.

After that job had been completed, he managed to actually say hello to some of his family before heading inside, probably to be assaulted with more jobs to do, but surprisingly he wasn't. Making the most of the opportunity, he sneaked upstairs and knocked on what had once been his mum's bedroom door.

"Who is it?" a collection of female voices yelled.

"It's just James," he called, waiting for a response.

After a minute, he heard Rose say, "let him in" and the door was finally opened.

His eyes widened as took in the appearance of his younger cousin. She had yet to put the dress on, but her hair, which he was used to seeing in a messy bun or tucked under a hat, was loose- her ringlets hanging down with random silver beads placed throughout her hair. Her usually natural face had make-up done in a way that was subtle but accentuated her features. James was speechless.

Rose snorted. "Do I look that hideous?"

"You look beautiful, little red. Absolutely beautiful."

Rose blushed as she pulled James into a tight hug. After a few seconds, James felt hands prying them apart.

"Come on now," Annabel, Rosie's friend/ Gryffindor housemate/ maid of honour, said as she stood between the two cousins. "We have a schedule to work to."

James stepped back, letting Annie and Victoire take over and sidling into the corner next to his Mum. Ginny smiled and leaned her head on her eldest son's shoulder.

"Who'd have thought that Ron could have produced a daughter so beautiful?" she commented with a smile.

James laughed, "Well I'm sure Aunt Hermione helped quite a lot."

They laughed for a while, then Rose had a thought, interrupting them. "Jamie, you don't mind doing me a massive favour and popping round to the flat, do you? It's just that I don't trust Scorpius, Albus and Charlie getting ready in one space and actually sticking to schedule."

"Am I really the only one you can send?"

"Yes! Teddy's setting up the stuff in the tent, Louis will be crap at reporting and I need Hugh here in case I freak out. It's better if a younger person does it. Please James." Her eyes were large and pleading as she looked at her cousin.

He rolled his eyes and sighed. "I'll be back in a bit."

As soon as he apparated outside the door of Scorpius and Albus' place, he could hear the boys arguing about something inside. The door was slightly ajar, so he decided to just bite the bullet and go in.

When he did, he was surprised to see that Scorpius, although it was _his_ wedding day, was in fact the calmest in the room. Instead, it was Albus who was flitting around the room only half dressed- his hair sticking out at odd angles, and sweat beading on his forehead.

"But what if I trip Annie up when we're coming back down the aisle, or if I drop the ring, or if I mess up my best man speech?"

"Merlin, Albie- it's not even your own bloody wedding!"

At the unexpected extra voice, the two men's heads shot up. Scorpius smiled, whilst Al looked even more panicked.

"Rose sent you didn't she? Because she doesn't trust me to get Scorpius to the wedding in time." Al accused, his finger pointing in an attempt at intimidation.

"Rose did send me, but not because of you being a prick. I'm just checking up on the blushing groom."

Scorpius smiled, his dimple clearly visible. "The groom is perfectly prepared and is very excited to be marrying his best friend."

"You should be. Just you wait until you see her." James commented with a twinkle in his eye, causing Scorpius to blush. Pulling himself away from the moment, James paused to look around the flat. "Hey, where's Nott?"

"Outside having a fag," Al said, still pacing and looking nervous.

"Well it looks like you guys have things mostly under control here, so I guess I don't need to hang around. I have a flask of mead in my pocket, but I don't think you'll be needing it, Malfoy."

"I'm good," Scorpius chuckled, "but maybe let Al have it. I think he needs a little something to calm his nerves."

James snorted, but nonetheless, he passed the flask to his little brother.

"Thanks Jamie." Al said, hurriedly opening the flask. James acknowledged his thanks with a nod before sharing a similar look with Scorpius and apparating back to the Burrow.

By the time he had returned, Rose had changed into the dress, and James was completely stunned all over again at how angelic his younger cousin looked. His face was wide-eyed and beaming as he reassured Rose that Scorpius was fine and that she was going to blow him away when he saw her.

"I know it's kind of emasculating for me to make this observation; but that dress truly is incredible."

"Well you shouldn't expect anything less from me Jamie."

The voice from behind him took him by surprise, and caused his smile to stretch even further to the point where it physically hurt. James spun round and engulfed his sister in a hug so tight that her feet came off the ground.

"It's good to have you back, Lily pad."

"Bloody hell James, I've been gone a year, not a century."

"Felt that long!" James exclaimed, his arms firmly gripping Lily's shoulders.

"It's definitely good to have you back." Rose added.

Lily's lips tightened as she responded, "I'm only here for the wedding this weekend, and then I'm leaving on Tuesday: to go home to France."

Ginny met her daughter with a sarcastic eye- roll. "Just let us enjoy it, sweetie."

Annabel brought the room back to the event in hand by announcing that it was T- 1 hour until the wedding. The realisation of the time reminded James of his duties.

"I better head off, I need to go pick up Elizabeth."

At this, Lily wiggled her eyebrows. "Elizabeth, huh? You're bringing a date to this shindig?"

"Piss off, Lily," James muttered, ignoring the blush on his own cheeks.

"I'll have you know that Lizzie is a great girl and a great friend to James," Ginny intervened, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"Thank you Mum!" James let out exasperatedly as he made his exit from the room.

* * *

Lizzie straightened her dress once more as she leaned closer to her bathroom mirror to double check that her make-up looked good. There was going to be a lot of high- profile witches and wizards at this wedding, and as an up and coming sports reporter, she wanted to be on top form. Part of her also wanted James to look at her and no-one else, but that part of her was trying to be pushed down as far as humanly possible.

"Aunt Lizzie, you look great. You don't have to keep checking that your face hasn't changed."

Lizzie laughed affectionately at the way her niece was leaning against the doorframe, one hand resting on her hip. "Thank you Jane. I just want to look extra special for this wedding."

"Is that because you're going with one of those gorgeous athletes that you interview for your paper?"

"No, not at all!" Lizzie announced reflexively (and probably way too quickly).

"Really? Cause Grandma told me that this friend of yours has done loads of shirtless photoshoots and girls of your kind all over the country are totally into him."

"Well _I've_ never looked at shirtless pics of him, and I'm not every other witch in the country, am I? You need to get your pubescent, overly- hormonal head out the clouds. Your Dad would die if he heard you talking about boys like this."

"Yeah, well Dad isn't here, " the 12 year old retorted easily.

"Stop being cheeky, you!" Lizzie chided.

Jane was about to make another comment, when she was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"That will be James, so please- behave yourself- for once." Lizzie headed down the stairs, an excitable Jane following behind her into the lounge.

Lizzie discreetly tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she opened the door. James stood there- looking handsome as ever; his robe in his hand, his tie yellow to match Lizzie's dress. If how impressed she was didn't show on her face, it definitely showed on his.

"I know, I'm hot," he joked as he stepped through the door.

She rolled her eyes, and lightly punched his shoulder.

"You look pretty great too, by the way."

"Why thank you." she smiled before sinking into a sigh. "Sorry to be a pain, but we have to just hang around here for a few minutes. Mum and Dad have just popped out to the shop, and I don't trust my niece home alone."

"Not a problem. Where's your niece?"

Lizzie pulled James into the lounge where Jane had made herself comfortable on the sofa, her eyes intently staring at her phone until James caught her attention- at which point her eyes shifted and her cheeks reddened significantly.

James smiled as he introduced himself. "Hey, I'm Jay: I'm friends with your aunt."

Jane said nothing; just continued to stare at James.

"Since she's lost all powers of speech apparently, this is my niece Jane." Lizzie offered as she gestured towards her.

"Jane- great name. That's my best friend's middle name."

"Cool," Jane spluttered, unable to say much more.

James struggled to hold back his laughter, so it was a good time that the front door opened at that precise moment. He turned around to see Mr and Mrs Hartley enter, both with multiple shopping bags in their hands. Lizzie's mum perked up as soon as she spotted him.

"Hello James! It's good to see you again."

"Yeah, you too, Mrs Hartley."

Lizzie grabbed her bag with one hand and James' arm with the other and led him straight out the door. "Since you're back, we'll be going."

"We didn't need to rush Elizabeth," he laughed once they were out the front door.

Lizzie checked her watch. "Umm, yeah we did. The wedding starts in just over half an hour, and I don't want to be late."

"Well then… shall we, milady?" he smiled as he held her hand and prepared to apparate; she smiled back as they were spun into an entirely new place.

When she opened her eyes again, Lizzie gasped. The house in front of her was the most incredible thing she had ever seen. It was tall, and crooked, and she was terrified that it would collapse at any moment; but it was unique and eccentric.

James beamed as he watched her drink it all in. "Welcome to the Burrow. Shall we?"

Lizzie simply nodded, her mouth still wide, James leading her past the house into a large field in which a marquee was stood, intricately decorated with flowers and lanterns and birdcages, and other intricacies that set the scene as a cute, almost bohemian- style wedding.

They wandered through as people began to drift in, and made their way to find somewhere to sit, people occasionally stopping them to talk to James. Eventually, they made their way to the front, where a young man with curly ginger hair and a young woman with a round face and kind green eyes were gesturing for them to join them.

"Elizabeth, this is my cousin Hugo and this is his girlfriend…"

"Ruby," she finished for him with a smile.

Elizabeth smiled at them and shook their hands before looking up at the front and noticing Scorpius and Albus stood there, both looking very picturesque and handsome in their suits.

"Scorpius doesn't even look nervous at all. That's crazy!" she whispered to James beside her when they sat down.

He shrugged in response. "He has no reason to be. He's been waiting for this day for ages- he's completely ready for it."

"I don't know if I could have got married at 21. It just seems so young."

"If you're lucky enough to have already found the person you want to spend the rest of your life with at that age, what's the point in waiting?"

Lizzie's face softened as she observed the man beside her. That response wasn't what she'd expect from someone like him- someone who thrived on freedom and parties and not being tied to anything. He kept surprising her, and she found herself in awe of him. The little voice in her head kept whispering that this was why she liked him. Her attention was brought back as the congregation was called to stand for the entrance of the bride.

The harp started playing with the flick of a wand as the murmurs quietened to await Rose's arrival.

The room went silent when they saw her. Lizzie hated clichés, but in this instance, it was completely true. Rose lit up the entire place. She was absolutely beautiful; her dress was stunning, though simple in its design. Her eyes were bright and excited, and Ron walked beside her wearing a proud yet nervous smile. The sight of it moved something in Lizzie, and before she could quite comprehend what she was doing, she has reached over and slipped her hand into James'. He didn't bat an eyelid, or so much as look at their joined hands, but her heart couldn't help but skip at the bashful smile she saw on James' face out the corner of her eye. Her hand remained in his for the entirety of the ceremony. The smile remained too.


	17. You Do?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Scorose wedding part 2. It's amazing how weddings can really make you think about what you want... or at least that's what Lizzie's finding!

Within minutes of the ceremony finishing, the marquee transformed into a ballroom; the dance floor in the middle surrounded by beautifully decorated round tables. At the top of tent, the head table sat on a pedestal.

Lizzie found herself stood next to Ruby, whose face was a picture of awe as she watched the family rearrange the room with their wands.

"This magic stuff truly is incredible." she commented.

"You look like you're not used to it?"

"I'm not! I'm not one of you. I only found out about Hugo's magic 4 months ago."

"I found out that I had magic when I was 11. My family are all non-magical. I'm 23 now, and I still don't think I'm used to it," she laughed.

"I don't blame you. I don't think that I'll ever get used to seeing any of it."

"Ruby, Lizzie, we're sitting over here!" Hugo called from a table near the top of the tent. The two girls shared a smile as they went to join him.

As she sat, Elizabeth looked around for James when she noticed him approaching with a beautiful red-headed girl. She was petite, a light splattering of freckles covered her face, and her eyes matched the shade of James' exactly.

"Elizabeth, I'd like to introduce you to my baby sister Lily."

Lily rolled her eyes at the introduction, reaching out a hand to shake Lizzie's. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too," she smiled warmly. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Oh Merlin; not all bad I hope."

"None bad at all!"

"Well that makes a change," Lily muttered under her breath. Before Lizzie could ask what she meant by that, James had interrupted.

"Lily designed Rose's wedding dress. It looked great, didn't it?"

"It was absolutely remarkable. You did a beautiful job."

"Thank you," she said, blushing slightly. "We should probably sit down. I think the speeches are about to start."

On cue, Ron stood up, tapping the side of the champagne glass with his wand. "If I could have your attention everybody?"

The tent of people sat expectantly waiting. "Today we witnessed the marriage of Rose Weasley- my daughter- and Scorpius Malfoy- my new son-in-law. Admittedly, I never ever thought that I would be witnessing the day when a Malfoy and Weasley got hitched, but to be honest, it's nowhere near as horrible as I thought it would be."

This gained a loud stream of laughter. "Rose has a lot of her mother in her; she always has done. She's as smart as her, and approaches her problems from a certain angle. She is fearless in pursuit of what is right. Unfortunately, she's also got a lot of my traits. She's headstrong, and stubborn; she has a loudmouth and a temper… It's quite the combination. Scorpius, by becoming her husband today, you have said that you are taking on the challenge of being able to handle all that, and I don't think that there's anyone better suited to the task. When Rose first told me that she had befriended a Malfoy, I was furious. I was determined to hate you, and believe me- I tried very hard to do so. However, after only a few meetings, I knew that it was going to be almost impossible to hate a kid with as good a heart as yours."

Scorpius smiled up at Ron, the appreciation clear in his eyes. "He is patient, and smart, and so passionate, and that's why I know that he is the perfect match for our Rosie. He has been a supportive best friend to my nephew Albus all these years, a loyal assistant to the minister, and incredible help to my wife and I, and our parents; and more importantly than any of that- he has been everything to Rose. I'm excited to welcome you into our family Scor, and I feel proud to say that you will one day be the father of my grandchildren. Rose: you have, from the day you were born, been the most beautiful girl in the world. You and Hugh are both lights in my life, and I find it hard to believe that somehow you're all grown up with your own life now. I am so bloody proud of the woman you've become. You two are going to do great things together. I love you. So… can we all raise a glass to the new Mr and Mrs Malfoy- Weasley."

Lizzie chinked her glass to James, trying to hold back tears as she watched Ron embrace both his daughter and Scorpius, the latter of which rose to give his speech.

"Thank you Ron, or Dad- as you will now be called I guess. You were too kind with your words. Now, I have to try and compete with them, so thanks for making that difficult! First of all, I want to say on behalf of my wife and I,"

Scorpius paused with a little chuckle as everyone cheered, and the occasional spark was sent from wands.

"I want to say thank you to all of you for being here, and for making this day awesome. You all mean so much to Rose and I, so it means the world to us that you are here to share these memories with us. To my darling wife, Rose: I love you more than anything. You're my best friend. (Sorry not sorry, Al). You always know the right thing to say and you have the ability to make me laugh harder than anyone else. Thank you for agreeing to marry me. You always look beautiful, but today I can't even put it into words. Lily, thank you for designing such an amazing dress. I kinda wish that Rose could wear it every day."

Beside Lizzie, Lily gave Scorpius a nod of approval at his words and a wink to her cousin. Lizzie's heart fluttered, and in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but fantasize a different scenario, in which James was saying these words about her.

"Although it's impossible for anyone to look as beautiful as my wife today, the bridesmaids have given it a damn good shot, haven't they? Thanks girls- Annie, Victoire, Molly- you have all been such a great help in planning today and have supported Rose through thick and thin, and we are both so grateful for that. My groomsmen- Charlie and Hugo: you guys aren't always necessarily the most sensible, but you have buckled down and done everything I've needed in the prep for this wedding. My best man, Al. You're the best guy I know, man. I love you so much and I wish you the best in life, because you deserve that and so much more. You took me in when your whole family was against me and you have always, and I mean always, from the day we met, been willing to take an unforgivable for me. That is what I call a best friend. I'll regret being this nice to you once you give your speech I'm sure, but until then- enjoy it."

Lizzie couldn't help as smile as the speech was interrupted by Albus running over and hugging Scorpius from behind, and it seemed that everyone around felt the same about it.

"Next, to my parents. Mum, Dad, the two of you have given so much to make my life amazing. It wasn't easy, and there are still things from your past that you are struggling to overcome, but I can say with completely sincerity that you gave everything to raise me without the prejudices your parents passed to you. Thank you Dad for putting your rivalry with Rose's parents aside and for the most part, always being kind and respectful to them, even though for someone as stubborn as you that's a challenge. Thank you Mum for being the most encouraging, supportive mother in the entire world. You have always wanted me to shine, and you have made sure that I know that. I love both of you so much, and my wish every single day is that others would see the people you have grown to be and how far you have come from the reckless children you were."

A sobering silence fell upon the tent for a moment, before applause began to ring out, and a clearly touched Draco and Astoria Malfoy blushed.

"Now to my new family: you have been the most welcoming, and accommodating in-laws that I ever could have asked for. Ron and Hermione, Mum and Dad, although I was scared of you for a long time; I now know that you are dedicated to protecting and loving me in the same way you love your own children. You have been the most wonderful parents to Rose, and you should both be proud of the woman she is, because I know that I'm proud of her. To the senior Weasleys and Grangers, thank you for fitting every single stereotype of a grandparent there is! Thank you for feeding me too much, and hugging me too tight, and watching sports with me and giving me life advice. Rose is so blessed to have you guys. Hugo, my new brother in law; you are such an inherently good and genuine person, and I look forward to getting to spend more time with you in the years to come. Over the years I have become accustomed to your warning glare, and I promise that I will try my best in my marriage so that you never have to give me that glare again. Rose's many cousins… Where do I begin? Thanks for letting me be a part of your gang, and a member of the team. All of you have given me such great memories over the years, and when I have got stuck in sticky situations, you have said exactly what I needed to hear. One memory that comes to mind from the top of my head, is something that James said to me, very early on in mine and Rosie's relationship."

Lizzie's ears perked up at the mention of James, eager to know what advice he could have given Scorpius.

"He said this: 'The one thing, and the only thing you can do in life to feel accepted, is to focus on the things that really matter; the people that really matter. You are defined by the people you love, and the people who love you back. You're a part of this family already, Scorpius, because you constantly act out of love for us, and we're going to do the same for you. We're your cousins now too and we have your back.' Thank you, James, and all of you, for having my back. You're the craziest, wisest most wonderful family, and I hope you know that I have all of your backs too."

Now, nothing was able to stop Lizzie's tears from falling. The rest of Scorpius' speech became background noise, and all she could focus on was the fact that James was amazing. He continually amazed her and the way in which he loved his family inspired her. In that moment, she was completely convicted that she wanted to be with James, and she was going to tell him that at the next opportune moment.

Her attention was regained as everyone stood up to raise their glasses to Rose, and that was when James noticed the tears on her face. "Are you okay, Elizabeth?" he said, concern clear in his tone.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm great actually. This is a really great day," she smiled, even though her cheeks were still wet.

"Crying and calling it a great day… I never will understand you women." James laughed as he chinked his glass against hers once more and drank his champagne.

"Alright, alright, my turn now!" Albus stated with a massive grin on his face as he held his wand to his throat. "Be prepared my friends, you are about to learn more about Scorpius Malfoy than you probably wanted to know. Witches and Wizards, I present to you: my Best Man speech."

* * *

After Albus had managed to bring the house down with what was a hilarious speech, Scorpius and Rose were brought up to have their first dance. As they danced they looked into each other's eyes, and the intimacy of the small gesture almost made Elizabeth want to look elsewhere. It was clear to her, no matter what her own thoughts were on marrying young, these two people were very much in love and ecstatic to be getting married. As other couples were invited to come onto the dance floor, she thought that this could be her opportunity to let James know about her newly recognised feelings for him, but before she could even suggest it, James was apologising profusely as he was whisked away by family members to complete some job or other. Lizzie sighed and planted herself back on her seat. Nearby, at the drinks table she couldn't help but listen in as Lorcan Scamander approached Lily, hesitation in every step as he got closer.

He paused behind her, before taking a deep breath and tapping her shoulder. "Hey you..."

Lily's eyes widened as she turned around to face him. "Lorcan! It's good to see you."

She half smiled as she awkwardly hugged him, if the short embrace could be classed as a hug.

"Yeah, well, you know… haven't heard from you in a while; or at all since you left really." He said, his hands slipping in his pockets in an attempt to be casual.

Lily's demeanour changed instantly and she rolled her eyes, stepping closer to him. "For fuck's sake Lorcan, it's my cousin's wedding, please don't do this here."

"Do what, Lily?" he said, in a tone that could only be described as exasperated. "You were the one who said that you'd be willing to give it a go when you got back from France. You were the one who said you had feelings for me and then moved to a different bloody country."

"Look, Lorcan," she sighed. "I meant what I said, and when I get back- we _will_ try and make things work with us, I promise. But I'm not ready to come back just yet. I'm here for the weekend; that's it."

Out of the corner of her eye, Lizzie noticed as Lorcan reached for Lily's hand and began rubbing circle's on the back of it.

"I still stand by what I said. I would drop everything, I could come live out there with you, get a job at the French ministry."

"Merlin, can we please not do this right now? I'm here for Rose and Scorpius, not to sort out shit between us." Lily's voice pleaded.

"What can I say then, Lily, what do you want me to do?"

She thought for a moment, a sad smile falling on her face, before one of her hands came up to run through his hair and rest on the side of his face. "You can ask me to dance?"

"Are you ready to go dance?" James' voice beside Lizzie made her jump, immediately making her feel guilty for eavesdropping on what was clearly a private and very personal conversation.

She nodded, still recovering from the surprise to say anything more. Lizzie stood up and James held his hand out to her, and as cliché as it sounded, she felt sparks when their hands connected. He led her to the dance floor, and as soon as he pulled her close and they were moving together; she felt calm. She felt perfectly comfortable and ease at the world, and she never wanted this feeling to end. She laughed as James spun her under his arm and drew her back into him. She could feel the glances of friends and family shifting over them, but she could not care less. This was a perfect moment. She took a deep breath, as she prepared to say what was on her heart.

"Hey James, there's something I need to tell you."

His eyes glinted with curiosity, but his usual smug smile remained. "Go on."

"The thing is… crap, I'm not good with the whole spontaneity thing. The thing is, I have loved getting to know you so much these last few months, and I am so glad that I stopped being a stubborn cow and actually let you into my life. You've become literally one of the most incredible friends that I ever could have hoped for."

"You're a great friend too Elizabeth."

"No, that's not my point though. Because I don't think that I want to"-

Elizabeth was never able to finish her point however, because that was when a tipsy Albus appeared and threw his arms around them. "Whey, if it isn't my absolute favourite brother in the whole wide world."

"What do you want Albie?" James said cautiously.

"Right, so…" Albus started, attempting to stand up straight. "So Rose and Scor are married now, and when they get back from their honeymoon, they are going to live in our flat. Problem is, I kinda fucked up and forgot to find somewhere for myself to live, so as of next week, I'm a little bit homeless? So really, my real question, that I really need to ask you really is"

"You want to come live with me." James finished for him.

"Exactly!" Al exclaimed, his arm coming back round James' shoulder. "See, Jamie, I knew that you just got me."

"Hang on a minute, I haven't said yes!"

Lizzie smiled at Albus' face dropping, since she knew there was no way that James would say no.

"Please Jamie, please don't make me go live at home with our parents. It would be too embarrassing to face."

James stood there, his finger tapping his chin as if in deep thought. "Well, in that case… Go on then."

"You are the absolute best!" Albus shouted drunkenly, planting a kiss on both James and Lizzie's cheeks before stumbling away.

"So what was it that you wanted to tell me?" James asked, as they continued to dance.

Lizzie hesitated, the moment having passed and being too nervous to finish what she'd started. "Umm, don't worry about it, it was nothing."

"Well, if you're sure," James replied sceptically.

"I am. Now come on, I haven't actually said hello to the bride and groom yet, so let's go find them."

* * *

After a few more hours of dancing, and drinking, and too many amusing moments with the Weasleys, Lizzie figured that it was time to call it a night. She and James said their goodbyes, since he insisted on seeing her get home safely, and they went on their way.

As the breeze blew over them as they walked along her road, Lizzie noticed that James' slightly long hair was blowing in the wind. She smiled fondly at the sight, and found herself wanting to reach out and run her hands through his hair in the same way he always did. He caught her staring at him as they approached her front door, but instead of his usual smug grin, a shy smile and faint blush rose to his face.

"Lizzie, are you okay?"

Being caught off guard by him calling her Lizzie, and because of the atmosphere in the air, and the fact they had just come from a day celebrating two people loving each other, Lizzie found herself unable to stop herself any longer. She stepped forward, put her hand on his cheek and leaned in to kiss him soundly on the lips. After a few seconds, she felt the cold Autumn air on her face again, before being replaced once more by the warmth of James' lips. His mouth parted hers slightly, and the juxtaposition of the cold air and his hot breath made her stomach flip. She lost herself in the kiss, sliding her arms around her neck to bring him closer, as his arms found their way round her waist. She found herself frustrated that she had made herself wait so long for this, when he had literally offered himself to her on a plate as soon as they'd met. Lizzie sighed into the kiss, and this woke up James; suddenly making him wholly aware of the situation, and making him pull away.

"What was that?" he asked, stunned, his breath coming out stunted after their kiss.

"I like you, James. I was trying to tell you earlier, but things got in the way and I got scared and chickened out, because I wasn't sure if you still felt the same about me because you'd dated other people or whatever but"-

Lizzie was cut off by James reattaching his lips to hers, and she felt him smile against her. When he pulled away again, his forehead remained resting against hers and he whispered against her, "I do."

"You do?"

"I still like you, and I still want to be with you. Even more than before actually, considering that I actually know you now," he laughed.

"Well I better get it over with and just say it then," Lizzie said with a sarcastic sigh. "James Sirius Potter, will you go out with me?"

"Well, Elizabeth. Even though that was ridiculously corny, and way too fairytale for my liking; yes, I will happily go out with you." He answered, with a huge smile on his glowing face.

Lizzie beamed a smile to match his before leaning in to kiss him once more. She was already addicted to his lips, after only a few kisses. Merlin, she was pathetic.

"Hey, is it past midnight?" James asked randomly.

"Why, are you late home Cinderella?"

He rolled her eyes and laughed warmly. "No, I just needed to make sure it was after midnight, because I don't know how well Scorpius and Rose would take to us getting together on their wedding day… stealing their thunder and all."

"Well, I don't mind redoing this whole thing tomorrow if you'd prefer," Lizzie commented cheekily, fuelled by the adrenaline of having actually asked him out.

"That is a genius plan, milady."

Lizzie smiled again and she had a feeling she wouldn't be able to stop doing that for a while. "Well I better go in, but I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Oh yeah. You'll definitely be seeing me tomorrow."

Lizzie kissed him on the cheek softly, before leaving him outside as she entered her house. Once she was in bed, all wrapped up in her duvet, she found herself letting out a small, excited squeal. She was looking forward to facing tomorrow.


End file.
